There seems to be 6 things that are of special interest to the
resurrected Christ but in the nature of apocalyptic writing, 7 churches needed
to be identified in order to symbolically signal completion.
The first of the 7 is the church at Ephesus. Ephesus is the
choice place to begin because its strategic importance geographically, politically,
culturally, and religiously. Although Ephesus was not the capital of the province
of Asia, it was the most important city. It was the trade gateway of Asia
from the west to the far-east. It was also the place that major southern and
northern roads reached the sea. Ephesus was a political center (free and self-governing)
and was a tourist centre with one of the seven wonders of the ancient world:
the temple of Artemis (or Diana). The most famous annual games in Asia were
held in Ephesus, attracting people into it from everywhere on an annual basis.
The church at Ephesus, at the time of the writing of the Revelation,
would have had a significant history. Established by Paul in about 52ce, (Acts
18:18-22) it later had the distinction of being the city in which Paul spent
more than two years teaching the Christian faith (Acts 19:8, 10). It seemed
to have functioned then as a mission center in the evangelization of its neighboring
cities (e.g. Colossae and Laodicea). Paul assigned Timothy to the task of
ministry there and he is historically regarded as its first bishop (1 Timothy
1:3). The influence of the apostle John, as well as other prominent early
Church leaders such as Mary the Mother of Jesus, has been firmly established
in Christian historical tradition. It would be reasonable then to regard this
church as a major center of definitive Christian doctrine by the end of the
first century.
The church at Ephesus had the difficult task of holding to orthodox
Christian doctrine in a metropolitan center, which was also a prominent pagan
center. These two characteristics of Ephesus attracted all because of its
strategic importance for trade and travel. All of these people imported with
them various lifestyles and religions potentially subversive to the purity
of the Christian doctrine.
The book of Revelation in its entirety may be viewed as an apocalyptic
letter. The letter to the church at Ephesus is the first of the specially
addressed letters placed at the beginning of the book. Each church specially
addressed in the book are to have access to the letters addressed to the others.
This fact is indicated by the recurrent notation in each letter: “He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:7).
This corpus of 7 letters identifies 6 characteristics addressed by the Spirit
in 7 real churches that together are representative of all churches.
This letter follows basic elements of the standard format of
the time with a slight variation (recipients, sender, body, and ending). One
is not surprised, however, that there are apocalyptic elements woven in the
contents as the letter fits into the larger literary context of Revelation.
The address is to the “angel” of the church which
is best understood to be the prevailing ethos of the church or its essential
spirit. This usage of the term “angel” is exemplified by the story
of Peter’s miraculous release from prison in the book of Acts. Some
believe what Rhoda saw was Peter’s “angel,” or his essential
spirit (13:15). This essence is what the resurrected Christ addresses in the
church, which is repeated for the remaining 6 churches.
The seven “stars” mentioned are these angels. The
meaning of this symbol has been indicated in the inaugural vision. The sender
of the letter, the person seen in the inaugural vision, is described in terms
of the vision: The “words of him who holds the seven stars in his right
hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands” (2:1).
The body of the letter is an informed review of the essential
ethos of the church. It identifies significant positive qualities, which would
be advantageous to the church’s survival in a subverting context such
as the first century. Some of the positive qualities identified in this church
were their hard work, perseverance, vigilant sensitivity, intolerance of fraudulent
people and a hatred of heretical practices. The Nicolaitans referred to in
this letter and the letter to the church at Pergamum seem to have been a sect
within the church that worked out a compromise with the pagan society. They
seemed to think that their spiritual liberty and status was not affected by
their practice of idolatry and immorality.
The letter climaxes in a piercing rebuke about the “forsaking
of their first love” (2:4). Repentance is required and the expression
of the “first love” is found in the actions of love that were
to be remembered and reinstated. Present is the threat of the removal of their
lampstand if repentance does not take place. In the absence of the reinstatement
of the “first love,” they would be decisively expelled from the
community of churches.
This letter from the risen Christ is also a message from the
Spirit—for those who have ears to hear. The letter ends with a promise
to those who “overcome” the challenge of “lessened”
love. The apocalyptic language of the “tree of life” and “paradise”
is employed to indicate the nature of the reward for those who overcome.
The human need is found in our tendency to move our love relationship
both with God and fellow human beings to a secondary position in favor of
the “business” of church. The practice of placing the relationship
expressing love first and foremost is threatened by the necessary demands
of hard work, personal difficulties and the ever-present danger of disingenuous
church people. In these circumstances, the need to maintain the hallmark Christian
virtue of love is always under the occupational hazard of decline.
God’s answer is a call from the resurrected Christ to
stop and reflect on the loss: Relationships that were characterized by love
first and foremost. God calls for repentance—more than a change in attitude.
It is a call to action. It is to be an observable behavioral change. The church
must do those things that use to be done. God’s answer is accompanied
by a solemn warning: Continued absence of this premium love relationship disqualifies
one from fellowship in the community of the churches. The wooing of the Spirit
and the promise of an eternal blissful reward completes God’s answer.
The appropriate human response to God is repentance; immediate
agreement with the resurrected Christ. This repentance should be based on
reflection. By reinstating practical loving behaviors, evidence of repentance
can be seen. Making love a priority, in spite of the pressing demands of orthodoxy
in a fundamentally subversive environment, indicates repentance.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
The resurrected Christ is intimately aware of our activities
and priorities in His church. It is absolutely unacceptable to God if the
most noble and necessary Christian actions and attitudes replace love as our
priority.
The sermon asserts that the resurrected Christ, in partnership
with the Spirit, absolutely requires love as a priority above all other activities
in His close-knit Christian community. The absence of love for God with all
one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength and a similar love for one another
is absolutely non-negotiable. This love is irreplaceable by any other virtue.
