The Seven Churches of RevelationSampel

Jesus looks at the church in wealthy Smyrna, modern-day Izmir, and sees a healthy church. But you may be surprised what made this church healthy. It was not butts in the pew, bills in the plate, baptisms in the water, or buildings on the campus—the four measures many use today for success in a church. No. Not for Jesus. What made the church of Smyrna healthy was that it was suffering well. That’s right: the mark of this healthy church was suffering, and suffering the way Christ did. Their suffering was at the hands of local leaders in Smyrna (think Babylon) as well as at the hands of synagogue leaders distancing themselves from this radical, growing Jesus movement.

Colossus Christ and His Commendation

The Colossus Christ commends the church in Smyrna as the “First and Last” and as the one “who died and came to life again” (Rev 2:8), both of which titles for Jesus were mentioned in the vision of Jesus in chapter one (Rev 1:17–18). The first cannot but have evoked the sense that Jesus was God (cf. Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). Jesus comforts the Smyrnans because he has been there: he knows what it means to suffer, but he also knows the other side of suffering, namely, the power of the resurrection. What this means for the church is that their Lord is more powerful than the hands who make them suffer. History, like the stars of Rev 2:1, is in his hands.

Along with his victory beyond death, the suffering of Jesus requires mention because the Smyrnans are experiencing “afflictions” and “poverty” and “slander” (Rev 2:9). The word “afflictions” is not your run-of-the-mill hassles, for often in the New Testament this word points at a cosmic-connected oppression, injustice, and tribulation against God and God’s people. The Smyrnans experience the afflictions in three ways: as (1) economic hardship (cf. Hebrews 10:34) because of their witness and worship. Along with those came discomfort with the interplay of Babylon’s paganism and social life, including the pressure to participate in the imperial cult; (2) as imprisonment, though only for a short while, and (3) as slanderous rumors or denunciations by tattlers among their Jewish opponents of the gospel (2:10). Just like Jesus, just like Stephen, just like Paul (cf. Mark 8:31–9:1; Acts 7:54–8:1; 2 Corinthians 11:16–32).

The churches in Smyrna were no longer part of the synagogue, and the synagogue surely experienced social pressure from the authorities for those who had usurped the Jewish faith and morphed into Jesus faith. As Greg Carey puts it, “Any Christian who wanted to do business or advance in society would be confronted with” the various religions on offer (Carey, Faithful and True, 30). Smyrna, like Ephesus, was recognized by Rome as a “temple keeper” dedicated to Tiberius (cf. Acts 19:35). Jews were exempted from this religious practice, but it appears the Christians were not recognized as part of the synagogue and were in trouble with the authorities. What John calls the “synagogue of Satan” deserves more than wisdom today because it can easily slide in our culture into anti-Semitism.

Exhortation vs. Correction

Jesus has no complaint against the church in Smyrna, but he does have an exhortation. And because there is no evidence of Babylon creep into this church, the word “correction” used in five of the seven messages seems misguided. I like the word “exhortation” instead, which has a double focus: “Do not be afraid” and “be faithful” (2:10). The two work together for those who suffer because fear can lead to denial of one’s faith (think of Peter in Mark 14:66–72). So Jesus exhorts them to have courage and be allegiant or faithful to him by facing death knowing that the suffering will only be for “ten days” (Rev 2:10), but the victory of life with God and resurrection comes on the other side.

Consequences

Those who remain faithful, that is, who are double dissidents against the way of Babylon and its creeping presence in the church, will be given “life as [their] victor’s crown” (2:10). Their crown may have been instead a wreath. That crown, however, is not material in the sense of something topped on one’s head. Instead, their crown is life, eternal life, the second resurrection and not the “second death” (2:11; cf. 20:6, 14; 21:8). Their victory then is life in New Jerusalem.

Questions for Reflection and Application

1. How is Jesus uniquely qualified to speak to the church in Smyrna about suffering well?

2. What type of afflictions were the Christians of Smyrna experiencing?

3. What exhortation does Jesus give them?

4. How do you think they received the message? How might it have landed for them?

5. What encouragement do you need today to help you be faithful and not fear?