The letter to the church in Laodicea
Well this is the most preached letter of the churches, and so we all know about the problem of being lukewarm. But do you really know what it means in this context? Especially when this is the only church that gets no praise at all, not even a little!
The historical background
Laodicea was at the crossroads of several trade routes and was a very wealthy city. They
- were like the Swiss Bank of Asia Minor,
- had sheep farming that gave them fine and valuable black wool,
- were a medical center known for eye ointments.
Jesus’s view
Jesus comes to this church as the “True Witness” and the “Amen” because Laodicea is counterfeit. Their main problem is lack of self-awareness. They think they are “God’s gift to the world,” but in fact they are failing exactly in the very ways they think they are good.
The Problem
So Jesus approaches them at eye level. He comes as a merchant and offers them free goods. The same goods they think they already have the best version of. They have the idea that living a “good” life is enough to be a great church (no big sins, tithing, reading the Bible, …).
The problem is that they are lukewarm. Let me explain this a little bit: It does not refer to being on fire for Jesus or being a hardcore atheist, but it actually has to do with water.
In those days, water was good in two states:
- Hot: so it could be used like hot springs for healing purposes.
- Cold: so it was refreshing to drink
But Laodicea had neither — only lukewarm water that you spit out when you drank it.
There are many ways to be an effective church, such as evangelism, prayer, healing, ministering to the poor, or other ministries. They have a purpose, but Laodicea had none of these things and therefore was of no use, like lukewarm water.
The solution
Jesus calls them out of their complacency and knocks at their door. This is not the altar call of the unbeliever, but the call of the lover to the beloved.
And IF they listen, they will SIT with Him on the throne in the throne room of God.
Now wait a minute: No one sits in the throne room, everyone stands!So what does that mean for Laodicea? Is this motivation enough for them?