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Jesus’ Message to the Church in Smyrna

Introduction

There are many examples of comeback wins in the world of sports. I am a fan of the Chicago Cubs. After 108 years of frustration, they finally won the World Series in 2016. In the last game of the series, with the teams tied after winning three games each, the Cubs lost the lead in the late innings, only to win later in extra innings. It was quite dramatic, and I may never forget where I was (in Thailand) when they won.

More significant than any set-back (like the Cubs’ ninth inning in game 7) in a sports contest is the loss that veterans of wars understand in light of the victories that they set out to achieve. The losses are real, and they hurt, but the victory, if it is a cause worth dying for, outweighs the losses.

And more significant still than even the losses of men in battle for a great cause, are the losses we as believers, soldiers of the Lord, face every day of our lives, the kind of losses that even take lives in some instances, as our brothers and sisters in Christ are dying every day for the sake of Jesus—some tortured, some losing home and family, some losing limbs, and some losing their own lives.

But these losses, and all others, pale in comparison to the ultimate victory. This is the message that Jesus wants to communicate to the church in Smyrna, and it is a message that we need to hear as well. We may not have seen intense persecution, and may not see it in our lifetime, but many believers around the world have endured these kinds of trials. We can take comfort in the truth that the victory is sweeter than the losses along the way. And even though our sufferings may not at times be related to persecution, the joys that we have waiting for us far outshine the hard times of our lives.

Exposition

Jesus knows the situations we face. We remember that he is the One who walks among the golden lampstands. He knows the activities of the evil one, and he is not thwarted by them. Knowing that our Savior knows the suffering we face not only helps us get through them but compels us, just like a son playing harder when his father is watching. We endure through the pain because we know that Jesus is watching.

Jesus knew what was happening to his church in Smyrna. Smyrna is one of two churches about which Jesus had only positive things to say. This was a church that was enduring intense persecution. It seems that often during times of persecution in the church, that the church is more attuned to following God. They have less time to sin and feel more compelled to pray.

Smyrna is the only city of the seven still in existence, modern Izmir. It was located 35 miles north of Ephesus on the east shore of the Aegean Sea. It was an export city, second only to Ephesus with a population of about 200,000. It boasted a beautiful road called “The Street of God” that curved around Mount Pagus with a temple on either end: one to Cybele and the other to Zeus.96

Smyrna was a patriotic city, loyal to Rome, and had built more than one temple in honor of the Roman cult.97 A certain expectation of emperor worship must have been present. The Jews would have been quick to distance themselves from the Christians and to turn them into the authorities for not also participating. Probably nowhere else was life more dangerous for the Christian at this time than at Smyrna. About 156 A.D. Polycarp, the saintly bishop of Smyrna, was burned alive at the age of 86. His words as he burned were, “86 years have I served Christ, and he has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

Why is Jesus described as the “First and the Last, the one who was dead and is now alive?” Because of the suffering that must have been experienced by the church in Smyrna. They needed to be reminded of the sovereignty of God. And also of the witness of Jesus who also suffered (see 1 Peter 2:21). He died and came to life again. They will suffer but will not be hurt by the second death (v.11). To a congregation threatened with imprisonment and death, it would be comforting to know that the Lord of Creation went through the same thing and he has their reward in his hands.

Jesus knew the affliction they were experiencing, and their poverty. Were they poor because of their faith in Jesus? Was this an economic affliction of persecution? There is good reason to believe it was. In Jesus’ estimation they were not poor, but rich. They were rich because of the promise of the kingdom, and the promise of release from the second death. They were rich because they endured great hardship for their faith.98

Jesus knew who was persecuting them. There was a group claiming to be Jews but were really blasphemers. They were really a synagogue of Satan. Who were these people? Were these actual Jews who were trying to impose their Judaism on the church in Smyrna? These Jews who persecuted the Christian believers were not “real Jews” in the covenantal sense. They had been cut off from the tree (see Romans 9–11). To Jesus, these were not really Jews at all, in the same sense that he accused the Pharisees of not belonging to the family of Abraham, but rather were children of the devil. Notice the harsh words Jesus used again in Revelation 2. They were a synagogue of Satan.

Jesus knows what is happening to his church around the world. Smyrna can be paralleled to so many of our churches around the world, those undergoing intense persecution. Jesus knows their situations. He promises us that if we want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, we will be persecuted (2 Tim.3:12). How much wealthier these churches are than those around the world that have the fancy, stained glass windows, the gold covered columns, and the marble entrances! It is the church that suffers in the fire of tribulation, in the crucible of testimony for the cause of Christ, that is the church that is wealthy according to Jesus.

We can be encouraged by this that Jesus does see the pain that we endure. He knows. He is not just a moral meter, taking notes on how we are doing throughout the day. He is a companion and, though he promised that the church would be persecuted, he aches when it is. He knows what it is like to be unfairly treated because of righteousness. And he knows the struggles we face, for as Hebrews says, he faced trials of many kinds, just like us.

Jesus told the church in Smyrna to not fear the coming πάσχειν (pascheiv) that they were expected to experience. They would be tested in prison. Tested for what? Tested by whom? The enemy would throw them into prison to see if any of them would cave into the suffering. Ten days could be an allusion to Daniel 1:12–15 and the ten days of testing of Daniel and his friends.99 Or it could be a symbolic time period indicating a limited duration of suffering.100 Whatever the time period, probably a short, limited period of suffering, Jesus told them to be faithful even unto death, just as he was.

If they proved faithful, they would be given the crown of life. The Greek word for crown is the same word for the name Stephen. Are they thus reminded of Stephen’s victory when he testified faithfully and was killed at the hands of the Jews? He was faithful even unto death. He saw Jesus standing in heaven to witness his sufferings. Jesus would witness the sufferings of the believers in Smyrna as well.

Death for the people was a real possibility. But those who overcame would not be injured from the second death. This is the final judgment about which John writes in Revelation 20. It is the Lake of Fire, into which the devil and the beast, and all the ungodly will be cast at the end of time. Jesus is so insistent about this that he used the double negative in the Greek, “You will no way go into the second death!”101 To him who overcomes go the spoils. And to the believer that remains faithful during times of persecution, the crown of life will be given, and he will be spared from judgment.

Conclusion

Life is difficult. Life is filled with trials. But the ultimate victory to come far outweighs any struggle, any trial we face. A student of mine asked me after class several years ago, “If a man holds a knife to my neck and asks me if I am a follower of Jesus, can I say “no” while still saying “yes” in my heart?” I answered him, “If you say ‘no’ that man will go away thinking your faith is weak and your Jesus is weak, and you will live regretting that denial. But if you say, ‘yes,’ and the man takes your life, you will go straight to your reward, and that man will leave you with the impression that the confession of Jesus is worth giving your life.” This student smiled, knowing what the right response should be, even though it is difficult.

But the power of this perspective, Jesus’ perspective, not only allows us to endure the pain and suffering of today. It also impacts those who are watching us. Our wounds, our suffering, fulfills or completes the suffering of Christ in the eyes of the world.

96. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, 91.

97. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 240.

98. Thomas and Macchia, Revelation, 95.

99. See Beale, The Book of Revelation, 242.

100. Thomas and Macchia, Revelation, 97. Ladd suggests that John is anticipating a localized persecution in Smyrna of short duration—Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 44.

101. See Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4–5.