Revelation 2:12-17
June 9, 2024
Pentecost 3
William G. Carter
And to the angel of the
church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp
two-edged sword: “I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is.
Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even
in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you,
where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you: you have some
there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling
block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to
idols and practice fornication. So you also have some who hold to the
teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon
and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. Let anyone who has
an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who
conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone,
and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one
who receives it.
When I go out in the countryside, people ask sometimes, “Where is your church?” I tell them it’s in Clarks Summit and they respond, “Is that on a hill?” Yep, we are up in the hills.
“But where is it?” they ask. It’s over the hill in Scranton, and they say, “Oh, that’s the coal mine town where what’s-his-name grew up.” OK, but the coal mines shut down 65 years ago, and there are plenty of what’s-his-names who grew up there.
“So, where is it?” they ask. I answer, “It’s in northeastern Pennsylvania,” and they say, “Can anything good come from northeastern Pennsylvania?” Obviously they have never met anybody else from here.
And after reading today’s letter that Jesus dictated to Pergamum, I have something more to say. The next time somebody asks, “Where is your church?” I can say, “It’s up in Satan’s neighborhood.”
No doubt that will prompt additional questions and concerns. Are there haunted houses in your town? After all, if Satan is there, there will be paranormal activity. And there are rumors of such things. There’s that home down on Chase Street in West Pittston. For fifteen years, the family claimed they shared the residence with a demon. It was suspicious enough that some Catholics showed up to do an exorcism. After a lot of prayer, things quieted down, and somebody made a movie about it.
If you live in Satan’s neighborhood, are there dens of iniquity? In the city over the hill, there’s a bar on every corner, and a church across each street. There are many accounts of misery reported from those establishments, but no more than anywhere else.
If you’re in Satan’s neighborhood, is it like Las Vegas? Well, we do have a casino nearby, and a second casino not far away. As far as anybody knows, neither casino has any ties to organized crime.
So goes the popularized evil, that there must be demonic activity, alcohol, and gambling. Throw in some rock and roll, and it may tip the scales.
What is remarkable about the city of Pergamum, where Jesus declares to be where Satan lives, is how remarkably civilized it was. Pergamum was about forty miles north of Ephesus and fifteen miles inland. It was a wealthy city, highly cultured, with a significant level of affluence and influence. For over three hundred years, it had been a capital city on the level of London, Paris, or Berlin. The city was also a center of learning, boasting a library of 200,000 scrolls, second only to the great library of Alexandria which didn’t appreciate the competition. The city hosted power, success, and education. How could any of that go wrong?
Yet, Christ declares there is something sinister at work in that well-informed capital city. He’s not impressed with the city’s reputation, or its affluence, or its longstanding power as a governing center. He sees – and hears – something else.
What did he see? Well, Pergamum was a center for pagan worship. The city housed an enormous Temple to Diana, Greek goddess of victory. There was also a major Temple to Asclepius, Greek god of healing. And the most significant structure was called The Great Altar, probably dedicated to Zeus and Athena. Crafted from marble, it was 116 feet wide, 109 feet deep, with a huge staircase. It was shaped like a large throne. So, Jesus views the Great Altar and sees the throne of Satan.
But it’s what he hears that is even more indicting. Words, words, words. Distorted words. Twisted words. Half-hearted words. Empty words. Self-indulgent words. False words. So, the Risen Lord speaks and describes himself as the One with the sharp two-edged sword proceeding from his mouth. It’s a visual picture of something another early Christian preacher declared. From the letter to the Hebrews,
The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with who we have to do.[1]
This is the Christ who speaks. He speaks with truth and moral clarity. His speech is distinctive and decisive. His Word has the force to cut away everything false. By contrast, there is the mythical power of Satan, whom Jesus once called “the Father of Lies.” There is “no truth in him,” Jesus declares, and “he is a liar.”[2] For all its opulence, prestige, and worldly significance, Pergamum is the home of Satan, because it is a city infested with lies. Now, there’s something here that has some juice.
The lies started early. The serpent, wily and sly, asked Eve and Adam in the garden, “Did God really say don’t eat from any tree in the garden?” That’s all it is, a question. A distorted question, twisted and unnecessary. Eve, who was the smart one, said, “We can’t eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, lest we die.”
Then the serpent told the truth, at least part of the truth: “You shall not die.” Didn’t finish the sentence: “You shall not die… yet.” With that, the temptation was set forth – to become like God, to think you might become equal with God, which entices us to believe we can replace God, and ignore God, and live without God. And it all begins with a lie.
When God decides to teach the runaway slaves that he freed from Egypt, one of his Ten Commandments is “No false testimony against your neighbor.” That is, no twisted speech when the truth is at stake. Say, for instance, somebody goes on trial for something for which they’ve been accused. Everybody swears to tell the truth or face the consequences. Yet, it is possible to step out of the courtroom, face the reporters, and twist the story in your own direction. It is totally contrary to the sworn truth inside the courtroom. And what lies behind the lies?
It sounds like Adam and Eve. Did you eat the apple? “Well, the woman gave it to me.” Did you eat the apple? “But the serpent said.” Blame somebody else, avoid responsibility, and lie. Lying has always been in our DNA. And it had infected the little Christian church in Pergamum.
“You have been faithful to me,” says the Risen Christ, “but I
have this against you: you have some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, He taught
Balak to lead astray the people of God.” It’s an allusion to a pathetic sad
story from the Jewish scriptures. Remember Balaam? We visited with him on Holy
Humor Sunday and heard the goofy story of the obnoxious prophet who couldn’t
get his own message straight.
It’s a tale that turns out badly. Unable to curse his own people after three attempts, as King Balak wanted him to do, Balaam suggested a party with festive food and dancing girls. It was a subtle shift and it worked. After forty years of austerity in the desert, the people of Israel were swayed by the smell of barbeque and sweet perfume.
Jesus asks the Pergamum church, “Why do you indulge that Balaam crowd? Don’t you remember that Balaam was an enemy agent, seducing Balak and sabotaging Israel’s holy pilgrimage by throwing unholy parties?”[3] That blessed congregation had been so faithful. A few of them had paid for their faithfulness with their lives. But here, very subtly, their faithful intentions had been twisted by lies. And Jesus, the Living Jesus, calls them out. He sees things for what they are. He speaks the truth.
And he calls them, not to move on to some jolly theme park where everything is always sunny, but to stay right where they are. As William Barclay says in his commentary on the text,
What the Risen Christ is saying to the Christians in Pergamum is this: ‘You are living in a city where the influence and the power of Satan is rampant – and you have got to go on living there. You cannot escape. You cannot pack your baggage and move off to some place where it is easier to be a Christian. In Pergamum you are and in Pergamum you must stay. ,,, It is there you must live and it is there you must show you are a Christian.[4]
This is the challenge. This is the calling. Stay right where you are. Live there. Be a witness there. Most of all, tell the truth there.
I think of the prophet Isaiah. On the day of his call from God, he laments, “Woe is me! I am a person of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”[5] He wasn’t admitting that he was talking smut. He wasn’t using foul language. Rather, biblically speaking, to be a person of unclean lips is to confess that you distort the truth just like the people around you. And our calling, our vision, is to see God who speaks the truth.
Now, this is a challenge, especially these days. There is a cable channel for every political inclination. We can reinforce only what we want to hear. We can get inflamed by toxic voices that are trying to hook us so they can get more advertising revenue and fund their outrageous salaries. They attempt to addict us to outrage rather than tell us what is going on.
I have always believed that journalism is an honorable vocation. So is public service. But when they become tainted by entertainment, when they become twisted out of shape by the promise of power, when money talks and truth walks, the whole human community is wounded. And Satan, the father of lies, has a holiday.
Yet the good news – and there is always Good News – is that Jesus speaks. The Living Christ speaks. His Word slices away all that is false. He calls us to be his faithful witnesses and speak what is true: that all people are fashioned in God’s image, that every life has God-given dignity and value, that those who are pressed down are to be lifted up, that the arrogant and the superficial will be knocked off their cardboard thrones, and that this world is both beloved and redeemable. This is the Word of God. And it’s the truth.
“I know where you live,” says the Risen Christ. “You live in Satan’s neighborhood. Stay there. Tell the truth about me. And I will give you a white stone with a new name written upon it.
Let everyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is
saying to the churches.
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