Letter To Smyrna
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:
9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
Smyrna was a city of about 100,000 when John wrote the letter.
Close to Ephesus, Smyrna was a very wealthy city that took great pride in it’s wealth and beauty. It was also seen as a centre of science and medicine. It was the birthplace of Homer.
A major export for Smyrna was the spice myrrh, used in the preparation of bodies.
It was in Smyrna the cult of Roma first began, in around 195 B.C. indicating how aligned the city was with Rome.
It is here in this city of science and medicine, that made so much of it’s wealth around preparation for death that Jesus identifies Himself as the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive!
Jesus wants the readers to know that His claim is much more than overcoming death, He is all that God can be. The phrase alpha and omega was to identify the completeness of all God can be. Jesus truly is the completeness of all God is.
For in Him dwell the fulness of the Godhead.
In the is letter, as the others, Jesus connects His title with the churches reward.
He is everything God can be and they, through Him, will die but will live forever.
We forget that these were letters not just a systematic set of categories but Jesus pouring out His love and as with any love letter it starts with His pledge of undying love and ends with His pledge of eternal love. Make no mistake, this is a love letter.
I know about your suffering and poverty but you are rich. These were people who because they did not declare Caesar is Lord were penalised with financial sanctions. In a city that was rich they had become poor because they would not move from the testimony that Jesus is Lord. We can live in poverty and still thrive in spiritual riches, but to be spiritually poor is to live without redemption or hope beyond luxury.
When we are facing difficult times, it is often our temptation to explore ways to build up our resources. We see poverty as the enemy not spiritual riches as our goal.
Sadly, many people are driven by what they see as overcoming the enemy – poverty not chasing their goal, spiritual riches. Which would you take if you could only have one?
The church faces the Jews, the synagogue of Satan. This was not some cult, the word satan is a word meaning “enemy.” Satan is so called because he is our enemy.
Peter is also called satan, not because he is demonic but he tries to disuade Jesus from what He must do and so Jesus calls Peter his enemy (Matthew 16:23).
Just to be clear while I mention that passage. In the previous verses Jesus uses a play on words about Peter being a rock (petros - a stone or boulder)but the church being built on a rock (petra – a large mass of rock).
The church is not built on Peter but the rock. That rock is the truth, that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. But I digress …
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