Pentecost 2
June 2, 2024
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life: “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.”
This is the second letter dictated by the risen lord to an ancient congregation. Jesus Christ speaks to a church in the port city of Smyrna. As soon as we hear these words, we recognize the distance between then and now, there and here.
The Smyrna church was having a tough time. They were smeared in public by their enemies. The local authorities were about to throw some church members in jail. Christ declares evil was working against that congregation and it would prove to be a test of spirit and soul. Twice he refers to it as “an affliction.” He uses a Greek word that defines affliction as a “squeezing.” The little church is pressed from every side. It would prove what they were made of.
That’s what trouble reveals for any of us. I recall a small church that I visited. The bats had gotten into the attic and left an indescribable mess. The old linoleum floor downstairs was peeling up. Huge water stains darkened the back wall of the sanctuary. There weren’t many people in worship, but by gum, they were Christians, and they were Welsh. And they weren’t about to give up. “God has called us to worship,” one of them said, “and that’s what we are going to do.” Either we give in, or we go through.
It's even more remarkable that a church like that keeps going even when they don’t have a lot of resources. The Smyrna church was dirt poor. Jesus could see it. We can take that literally, and the scholars suggest some good reasons why. The Christian churches in that time and place were up against a society that worshiped the Emperor of Rome. He declared himself to be divine. He demanded everybody bow down before him in worship. He required them to pay financial support as a mandatory offering to his lordship. He reinforced these demands by the spear. From what we know, the Smyrna church refused to play along.
This is a risky thing. If you stand up against the arrogance and brutality of a national leader, it could cost you a great deal. The emperor takes your number. The neighbors, out of fear or acquiescence, turn their backs on you.
In fact, in the city of Smyrna, within sixty years of this letter, the Christian bishop Polycarp was burned at the stake because he refused to bow before the Caesar du jour. And when that didn’t do him in, he was stabbed. He accepted this willingly, for Jesus was his Lord, not some arrogant pretender. In many places, that was the regular challenge of the early church. Who are you going to worship?
This commitment to Christ affected the livelihood of the church members. We can surmise from the letter that they were regarded as suspicious, which meant that the neighbors shunned them. Refused to employ them. This explains the poverty of the Smyrna church. Due to their trust in Jesus alone, they refused to kiss up to the Roman Emperor. They suffered as a result. To which Christ says, “Stay faithful. Don’t give in when you are pressed.”
Like I said, there may be some distance between then and now, there and here. Or maybe there’s less distance than at first thought. A lot of congregations out there are shrinking. Most of them, in fact. It’s not that the society is hostile to Christian belief; just indifferent. If a congregation has coasted along with the culture, never distinguishing itself as a loving and serving community, these days there will be some attrition. And if the preacher and the people don’t stay clear about the Gospel, if they assume Jesus and Caesar go hand in hand, it’s not long before a lot of folks ask, “What’s the point of church anyway?” Is there anything distinctive about trusting God and believing the Gospel?
Today we hear one answer. Christ is our treasure. He is the pearl of incalculable value. His love, his grace, his companionship are what gives us faith, hope, and life. So, he says to the Smyrna saints, “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich.” They have something better than money. They have Christ. He refers to himself as “the first and the last.” He came before their suffering, and he will outlive their troubles. He was dead and now is alive, so he says, “Don’t be afraid.” Eternally speaking, there are time limits to all our afflictions. They last, he says, for a mere “ten days.” After that, he gives us a “crown of life.”
Now, hear this for what Christ is saying. Faith never protects us from difficulty. When we baptize a beautiful little girl, as we will in a few minutes, God doesn’t wrap her in bubble wrap. She’s going to have some bumps throughout her life, as few as possible, we hope. We don’t know what challenges she will face, what demands life will put upon her, or even what kind of world we will leave behind for her.
Yet we do know is that she belongs to God through Jesus Christ her Lord. This is her baptismal identity. As we take this baptism seriously, we will work with the Holy Spirit to nurture her faith. We will call forth who she is as a beloved child of God. We will teach her how to trust in her Lord. We will raise her to rely on him as Savior. And in a world of slander, meanness, and twisted values, we teach her that Jesus stands for her and walks with her, no matter what.
This is what it means to be rich. Not to have a lot of money but to know you are loved eternally. To know that you matter. To understand that faith means there is One who is greater than we are. He will see us through, for he is the first and the last, and the One who lives. He says, “Be faithful until the end, which will not be the end. Not really. And if we are faithful, he says, “I will give you the crown of life.
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying
to the churches.
(c) William G. Carter. All rights reserved.
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