Revelation 3:14-22
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS THAT GOD HAS BLESSED YOU?
CAN WEALTH BE A SIGN OF GOD’S BLESSING?
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
BACKGROUND
“A city of the Roman province of Asia in the area of Phrygia. Laodicea stood on an 850-foot hill ten miles from Colosse up the broad valley of the Lycus, a tributary of the Meander. It was 90 miles east of Ephesus by road on the great commercial route from the coast into the interior of Asia Minor. Laodicea was founded by the Seleucid King Antiochus II (261–246 b.c.), who named it for his sister and wife, Laodice. He settled it with Syrians and Jews brought from Babylonia.” (1)
“It was an important centre of banking and exchange. Its distinctive products included garments of glossy black wool, and it was a medical centre noted for ophthalmology.” The city produced something called Phrygian powder, which was used to treat eye weaknesses. “The site had one disadvantage: being [built around a] road-system, it lacked a sufficient and permanent supply of good water.” (2)
Laodicea was known for its wealth and love of pleasure. In fact, it was the wealthiest city in the asiatic region. It had three theaters and a large circus that could hold 30,000 spectators. Yet, “for all its wealth, it could produce neither the healing power of hot water, like its neighbor Hierapolis, nor the refreshing power of cold water to be found at Colossae, but merely lukewarm water.” (3)
Laodicea was an extremely wealthy city. When other asiatic cities suffered damaging earthquakes, they took Roman aid to rebuild. But not Laodicea. In 60 AD an earthquake leveled the city. When Rome offered aid, the city refused it and rebuilt itself through its own resources.
No one knows who founded the church at Laodicea. However, Paul makes reference to it in his letter to the Colossians. Paul seems to indicate that he wrote a letter to Laodicea (Colossians 4:15-16). Some scholars believe that that letter was Ephesians, which was used as a circular letter to multiple churches in the region, while some hold that there was a separate letter to the Laodiceans, which has now been lost, much like two other letters to the Corinthians have also been lost.
There is disagreement among commentators as to whether this was a church of saved, though lapsed people, or if it was a professing church, not really knowing Christ. Because every church has a mix of both believers and unbelievers (like the visible and invisible churches we’ve discussed previously), I’m going to interpret this church as belonging to Christ, which is why he speaks as one who is disciplining his believers, as we shall see later.
EXAMINATION
(V.14) “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.”
The use of the designation “the Amen” is a statement meaning the one who is true. When we say Amen, we are stating our agreement with whatever was spoken before. We are acknowledging its truth. So, Jesus is saying he is the true one, whom we can all agree with. Which he repeats a moment later by calling himself “the faithful and true witness.” Witness means he sees what the Laodicean church is doing, and it’s not good.
“The beginning of God’s creation” may harken back to Colossians 1:17-18 where Paul calls Jesus the firstborn of God’s creation. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” Jesus is not the first created thing; rather, he is preeminent, in the first place. This stands in contrast to Laodicea, which held a high-ranking position as the wealthiest of the asiatic cities to which John writes.
(V.15) “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HOT OR COLD ABOUT SOMETHING?
“The adjectives hot, cold, and lukewarm are not to be taken as describing the spiritual fervor (or lack of it) of the people. The contrast is between the hot medicinal waters of Hierapolis and the cold, pure waters of Colossae. Thus, the church in Laodicea was providing neither refreshment for the spiritually weary, nor healing for the spiritually sick.” (4) Jesus wants them to be hot or cold, having a testimony that either brings people to Christ or builds them up in their faith. But they do neither.
(V.16) “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK “SPIT YOU OUT OF HIS MOUTH” MEANS? IS JESUS THREATENING TO TAKE AWAY THEIR SALVATION?
The meaning here is to literally vomit out of the mouth. The lukewarm waters of Laodicea were known for making people ill. Expelling the drunken water was the natural reaction. This is a dire warning for the Laodicean church. Jesus is about to have nothing to do with them as a church. He is not threatening loss of salvation for its members; rather, he is threatening loss of status as a church body. He takes no pleasure in them. He loves them, as we shall see, but he takes no pleasure in them. If necessary, he will disband them. The apostle Paul said something similar of one person in I Corinthians 5:5, speaking of an unrepentant man, “You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” I think the threat here is to disband or eliminate the church as a corporate body, though its members may still be saved, though by the skin of their teeth.
(V.17) “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
Just like the city in which they lived, the Laodicean church was entirely self-sufficient. The city was known for its wealth, particularly its banking industry. Private citizens enjoyed extreme wealth, which made them lack for nothing. Notice the words that Jesus uses to describe them. They all reference something from the city. Wretched, pitiable, and poor stand in contrast to their great wealth. Blind refers to the treatment of eye conditions that the city’s medical industry was known for. And naked refers to a shiny black wool produced in the area that was famous in the region and made the city rich. Everything the city has, the church benefits from, and it puts them in a spiritually precarious position.
Are you self-sufficient? Does your work or retirement sufficiently care for your needs so that you worry for nothing? As a missionary, when our support is healthy, we tend to relax and enjoy our situation. But periodically we must raise more money. We tend to look at money as our supply rather than the Lord. Are we self-sufficient, thinking we have no need?
(V.18) “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”
Jesus continues to use the things the city is known for to drive home his point that the Laodiceans are in great spiritual need, even darkness. Gold refined by fire refers to the city’s wealth of gold. “So that you may be rich” means the Laodiceans are spiritually poor and don’t know it. “White garments stand in contrast to the black wool of their industry. White being a symbol used in Revelation of holiness and purity before God. I.E., the Laodiceans were not living holy lives. “Nakedness” was a form of judgment and humiliation. Remember Isaiah the prophet who walked around naked for three years to symbolize Israel’s pending captivity to the Assyrians (Isaiah 20:1-4).
“Salve to anoint your eyes” refers to the Phrygian powder combined with oil to treat eye ailments. The implication being that the Laodicean church was spiritually blind. Remember Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in John 9:41, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.” The Laodiceans were in a similar situation.
Unlike the city, where all of these things required wealth to obtain, Jesus offers these things to the church at no cost. The gold, the white garments, and the eye salve are all symbolic of needing forgiveness, holiness, honor, and spiritual understanding that comes from a true relationship with Christ through faith and repentance, not self-sufficiency.
(V.19) “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
Notice that Jesus says he disciplines this church. You don’t discipline someone else’s children. So, I interpret these as genuine though fallen believers. They belong to Christ and are under his authority as a real church, not just a professing church.
This is, undoubtedly, the most important thing that Jesus says to the Laodiceans. Everything that Jesus says here, even his harshest words, is motivated by his love for them. He doesn’t want to spit them out. He doesn’t want to be rid of them. He wants to embrace them. They just need to repent.
HAVE YOU EVER FELT THAT GOD WAS HARSH WITH YOU?
I had a pastor friend of mine tell me once when I was going through a trial that I needed that trial because everything that happened to me was filtered through God’s love for me. No matter how bad it was, God permitted it because it was an experience that I needed in order for God to demonstrate his love to me through that experience.
Now, this does not mean that the Laodiceans needed to be lukewarm. Rather, it means that the harsh experience of Jesus’ reaction to them was necessary for them to understand how much he loved them. Like disciplining a child, the experience is painful, but ultimately it is an expression of love. Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”
(V.20) “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
WHOSE DOOR IS JESUS KNOCKING ON, THE BELIEVER OR THE UNBELIEVER?
This verse is often understood evangelistically. Christians usually use this passage in gospel presentations to get people to invite Christ into their lives. The picture is one of Jesus outside the life of the person, in other words, the unsaved person, asking to be let in. But I think something different is going on.
The church of Laodicea already belongs to Christ. It’s already his church. He’s not asking to be let into the unbeliever’s life. He’s knocking to be let back into his own house. The church is his house. But he has been excluded for wealth and self-sufficiency. He wants back in. This isn’t a polite knock. The Greek word for knock in this passage is krouō. It literally means “to beat the door with a stick,” like a walking staff. I.E., this is Jesus pounding on the door, demanding to be let back in.
The reference to eating together is a picture of restored fellowship. In the ancient world, eating together denoted closeness and intimacy. Jesus wants that relationship restored.
(V.21) “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
This is shared rulership. We are invited to sit with him on his throne. Not that we wield power, but that we are highly valued like royalty. We are just as valued by God as Jesus is valued by the Father. Notice how high this is compared to what the Laodiceans already have. They are rich, they are finely adorned, they have ample health and wealth. Yet, in reality, they are poor and pitiable, blind, and naked. But if they repent, they will gain the throne, something eternally greater than earthly wealth, adornment, or physical health. This is the ultimate contradiction to the health and wealth gospel. Abandon all earthly comforts for the heavenly.
INTERPRETATION
What is Jesus’ big idea for this passage? Self-sufficiency is a trap. Having Jesus is greater than any health and wealth.
There may be no greater threat to the life of the church today than the health and wealth gospel. If the churches of Revelation represent churches throughout history, then certainly, Laodicea represents the modern church.
The health and wealth gospel is not limited to the American church. It has infiltrated almost every area of the Christian world, especially Africa and Asia. In Africa, it’s common to see advertisements and billboards for so-called prophets and apostles. In Asia and Africa, prosperity pastors rake in millions. In fact, in a list of the world’s richest pastors, many on the list actually come from Africa. And congregants will do almost anything to gain their pastor’s blessings: drinking their bath water, following them around, debased on their hands and knees, and giving over their money in hopes of gaining even more. Yet, in the midst of this, there is hope.
There is still a remnant that has not fallen to the deception of the prosperity gospel. They take their Christianity seriously, no matter what.
How self-sufficient are you? As Americans, we like the idea of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We’re taught the value of hard work and self-sufficiency. Recently, in our politics, we talk about a golden age for America. But it’s a golden age built around economics and prosperity, not godly living and the gospel. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do well, but not at the expense of Christ. The blessings of Christ go beyond health and wealth. To be blessed of God is to know him intimately. To understand him. And to treasure him and each other more than possessions or the purse.
APPLICATION
1. Avoid Spiritual Lukewarmness
“You are neither cold nor hot… So, because you are lukewarm… I will spit you out of my mouth.” (v.15–16)
Application: Examine your spiritual zeal regularly. Commit to a passionate, wholehearted relationship with Christ rather than a complacent or half-hearted faith. God desires sincere devotion, not spiritual indifference.
2. Recognize Your True Spiritual Condition
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (v.17)
Application: Don’t rely on material success or outward appearances as indicators of spiritual health. Humbly seek God’s perspective and be open to conviction and transformation.
3. Pursue God’s Refining and Righteousness
“Buy from me gold refined in the fire… white clothes to wear… salve to put on your eyes.” (v.18)
Application: Pursue spiritual growth and maturity by seeking God’s truth, righteousness, and discernment. Let Him refine your character through trials and sanctification.
4. Respond to God’s Loving Discipline
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” (v.19)
Application: View God’s correction as an expression of His love. Instead of resisting it, respond with humility, repentance, and a desire to change.
5. Invite Christ into Every Area of Your Life
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock…” (v.20)
Application: Christ seeks a personal, ongoing relationship with you. Open your heart daily to His presence, fellowship, and lordship in every aspect of your life.
- Vos, Howard F. 1975. “Laodicea.” In The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, edited by Charles F. Pfeiffer and John Rea. Moody Press.
- Rudwick, M. J. S., Hemer C. J. 1996. “Laodicea.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman, 3rd ed., 672. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
- Rudwick, M. J. S., Hemer C. J. 1996. “Laodicea.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman, 3rd ed., 672. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
- Mounce, Robert H. 1997. The Book of Revelation. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
