| Chapter 2:8-11 Smyrna: 'A paradise of municipal
vanity'.
We do not know what the name Smyrna means but when
people heard it they thought of 'Myrrh'. This spice came from Arabia.
The Old Testament speaks about it. The wise men gave it to Jesus when
he was a baby (Matthew 2:11). Mark 15:23 tells us that the people offered
it to Jesus when He was on the Cross. John 19:39 tells us that it was
one of the spices used when the body of Jesus was buried. It had a beautiful
smell, but it was bitter and made people think of suffering and death.
There was an old story of an 'Amazon' at Smyrna;
the Hittites from eastern Turkey had been there once. The old city was
destroyed about 580BC and it was not built again until 290 BC. By John's
time Smyrna was almost as large a city as Ephesus. Ephesus was a port,
which was a little way up a river from the sea. Smyrna was also a port
but the city was right by the sea. If John went there by ship, it would
leave the Aegean Sea behind and sail eastwards up the Gulf of Smyrna.
He would see land on both right and left. Then two hills would come in
sight at the eastern end of the Gulf. The northern hill, on the left,
was where old Smyrna had once stood. The southern hill, on the right,
was called 'Pagus'. The Smyrna John knew was at the foot of this hill.
Temples and other fine buildings stood there. At the top of Pagus, there
were great walls and buildings for soldiers to use if there should be
a war. These buildings were said to look like a crown on top of the hill.
The people of Smyrna were proud of their beautiful
city. It was often said to look like a bride. They had been good friends
to Rome, too, ever since 197BC. That was before people knew that the Roman
Empire would one day control that part of the world. The city of Smyrna
was a faithful friend to Rome. There was worship of the Emperor and of
the 'goddess' Roma in the city. There was also worship of false 'gods'.
But there were Jews too who did not believe in Jesus. We know not only
from this message but also from other writings that the Jews of Smyrna
really hated the Christians.
We know nothing about how the church in Smyrna
began but it was the home of great and godly men as the years went by.
The most famous was a man called Polycarp, who died for his faith in Jesus.
But he was probably too young to be the 'minister' of the church when
John wrote.
At the end of the book, we can see that John still
thinks about Smyrna. (21:1,2,9 and 10). Smyrna looked as though it rose
up from the sea when you came to it by ship. The city of God comes down
from heaven; and there is no longer any sea then. Today, Smyrna is the
great Turkish city of Izmir. And it is the only one of the seven cities
where there is still a Christian church.
The Message to Smyrna
a) What Jesus says about Himself (verse
8)
These words are those which we have seen already
in 1:17 and 18. Jesus again says: 'I became dead'. [2.2] He had known
suffering. He knows the suffering of the Smyrna Christians too.
b) The good things which Jesus sees in the
church (verse 9)
Jesus sees that they are 'hard pressed'. Their
trouble is like a heavy load, which they have to carry. Then Jesus knows
just how poor they are. There were two words that John might have used
here. One word meant that a person was so poor that he had nothing to
spare. The other word meant that he had nothing at all. John here uses
the word that means that the Christians have nothing at all. Perhaps
there had been violence against the Christians in Smyrna. Their homes
may have been destroyed. We do not know. But John says that although
these people are so poor, they are rich. They are rich in love, in hope
and in faith. They are rich because they are the true Israel of God.
John says that the Jews in Smyrna who did not believe should not be
called Jews at all. (See what Paul says in Romans 2:28,29.) They said
evil things against the Christians. John calls them 'a group that belongs
to Satan'.
c) Jesus tells us what is wrong in the church
How wonderful! Jesus finds no fault with His
people in Smyrna.
d) Jesus tells them what to do (verse
10)
Jesus is quite open and honest. They will suffer.
They may have to die for their faith. Jesus does not pretend that the
Christian life will be easy. We must be careful when we preach. We must
not make people think that they will find the Christian life easy.
Now we cannot be quite sure exactly what this
verse meant to the Smyrna Christians. But this is what I think. Remember
that prison was not then a way to punish people. Perhaps there was to
be a great holiday at Smyrna. It would last ten days. There would be
races and sports in the 'arena'. A heathen priest might be crowned.
But also the judges would give crowns to those who won the sports and
races. They were not crowns made of gold. They would most likely be
crowns made from green plants. It was a great honour to have one. But
soon the heat would dry it up. It was a crown that would not last. It
was a 'dying crown'.
While these games went on, some of the Christians
might be kept in prison 'for ten days'. The end of the games was cruel.
The Christians would be brought from prison into the arena while the
crowds laughed and shouted. Armed men might kill the Christians with
their weapons. Or hungry wild animals might eat them. The Romans were
more violent than the Greeks and they had no pity. The ten days in prison
were bad enough: this shameful death was far worse. But Jesus tells
them - and us too! - to be faithful to Him, even if we have to die for
it. Then He will give us a crown that will live, not a crown which will
die. [2.3]
e) Jesus gives a warning
Jesus did not say that anything was wrong in
the church and so He gives no warning to them. He does not say that
He will take their lamp stand away. And we have seen that this is the
one city out of the seven where there is still a Christian church.
f) Jesus gives a promise (verse 11)
The 'first death' might be full of pain and shame.
But there is another 'death' at the Day of Judgment. It is better to
bear the pain of the first death, and to escape the Second Death. [2.4].
Notice that all these promises are really given to all the churches.
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