“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation: “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Revelation 3:14-22
Laodicea was located on the Northwest – SouthEast highway through Anatolia as well as being on the intersection of main highway West to East through the Great King’s Highway to the Far East. It was the prime city of the Triapolis of the Lycus Valley in conjunction with Hierapolis and Colossae. Laodicea was located 10 kms south of Hierapolis and 17 kms west of Colossae. It lay 144 kms from Ephesus. Antiochus II fortified Diospolis as a Seleucid outpost between 261 to 253 BC. The fortified city was renamed ‘Laodicea on the Lycus’ in honour of his wife Laodice. The name in Greek is a compound of [laos] meaning “the people” and [dikē] meaning ‘judgement or ruling‘. Basically the compound means “democracy” or “ruling by the people” which incidentally contrasts with Nicolaitan a compound of [nikē] meaning “victory or conquering” and [laity] “the common people”. The resultant political state signified ‘the priesthood ruling over the people’.
The three cities of the Triapolis: Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colossae had a close relationship as a result of being in close proximity as described above. But there is evidence from the New Testament of this relationship too, especially in terms of Colossae and Laodicea.
I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.
Colossians 2:1
Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas. Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. After you have read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it, too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them.
Colossians 4:12-16
Take note of the fact that the letter of Paul to the Colossians was passed on to the Laodiceans. It seems there was also a letter of Paul written to the Laodiceans but we have no record of that letter. All we have is conjecture about Paul’s letter to Laodicea. Tertullian claimed that letter was in fact the letter to the Ephesians. The Marcionites, a cult founded by Marcion, who was born in Sinope (present day northern Turkey) in 85AD and died in Anatolia in 160 AD, believed Jesus was a benevolent God quite different from the malevolent God of the Old Testament. The Muratorian Canon mentions the Letter to the Laodiceans as being a forgery by Marcion. There are some text critics who believe the lost Letter to the Laodiceans could have been written by Epaphras. There is also conjecture that Epaphras may well have been the one to evangelize Colossae and Laodicea. [That is all a side issue; let’s return to the background of the city of Laodicea.]
Laodicea was an extremely wealthy city. The wealth was derived from its location on two major trade routes and the fact the area was well known for a breed of sheep that produced fine black wool which was highly sought after. The garments made from this wool were famous across the-then-known-world. Laodicea was also famous as a healing centre. The local deity was Men, the god of healing. According to Strabo there was a medical school in Laodicea around the mid-first century where a famous ophthalmologist named Demosthenes Philalethes practised. Eye ointments were developed here which could treat a multiple number of eye infections. People came to Laodicea from far and wide for eye medicine and treatment.
As a result of Laodicea’s choice location, the fact that the city was a trading centre also enabled it to grow; what Gordon Fee describes as the Swiss banking centre of antiquity. Laodicea was a city of immense wealth. So much so that during the earthquake of AD 17, the city suffered some damage but was repaired again quickly. Laodicea was hit again by an earthquake in AD 60 which levelled the city. At that time, the town leaders refused offers of help from Rome, preferring instead to rebuild the city themselves using their own local funds. There was a sense of pride about the city in their own ability to take care of things themselves. Laodicea was one of, if not the wealthiest city in Asia Minor. It is reported there were at least 5,000 Jews living in Laodicea by the early to mid 1st Century. After the AD 60 earthquake, the Jewish community in Laodicea were reportedly giving 10 kilograms of gold as an offering to the temple in Jerusalem every year. This was just 30 years before the letter of John was to be delivered to these seven churches. Not only was there great wealth in the city, there were also an inordinate number of beggars in Laodicea as well. Where Sardis had a lot of thieves; Laodicea had a lot of beggars.
There is one more very salient piece of background information I need to add before I close this Gem. I have included in past gems in this series on the Letter to the Seven Churches of Revelation that earthquakes were a relatively frequent occurrence. In fact with the earthquakes in both AD 17 and AD 60 as many as 12 cities were affected. I also have made further background comment concerning volcanic soils and the thermal heating of homes with hot geothermal water piped into the houses. That certainly was the case with Hierapolis. In fact Hierapolis acted like a health spa with hot mineral pools and therapeutic mud and hot baths; like an ancient Rotorua of Asia Minor. Hierapolis experienced hot water coming from beneath the earth’s surface which then travelled across the river via aqueducts to Laodicea and then on down to Colossae. By the time the water got to Colossae it had lost its heat and had cooled to normal again, but also the heavy mineral content had been leached or had dissipated. The hot water was of sufficient heat to be useful in attracting travellers and tourists to Hierapolis. But unfortunately for Laodicea the news was mostly bad. The water at Laodicea was high in mineral content and was dirty, smelly and unfit to drink. In fact it had emetic properties to the extent that it caused vomiting if you were to drink it.
I am sure you have gathered by now the specific nature of Jesus’ input to each of these churches. His comments were tailor-made, not only related to the history and local environment, but also Christ took His knowledge of each local area and used it in ways to show them indeed that He did know all there was to know about them. Not only in general terms but down to the personal level as well. When Jesus says, “I know your deeds, what you have done in the past, what you are doing now and what you will do in the future” it even includes our thoughts and intentions of heart.
These letters were not individual letters to each church in confidence. All seven churches heard what was said about the other six churches. Can you imagine the growing dread as the letter was read in each subsequent church around this circular route? When you have heard what Jesus said about the church up the road I am sure you would be thinking what is the LORD going to say about my church. Not only that, but some elements in the letter were personal on the individual level. I would think as people heard the letter read there would be some who stood with bated breath wondering if they would get a mention; not of commendation but of rebuke.
Have you noticed there was no commendation whatsoever given for Laodicea. Not one word! Not only that, but there were no mitigating factors added either. There were no extenuating circumstances of persecution, paganism, idolatry, temple prostitutes, immorality or heresy as was the case with some of the churches at the beginning of the circular loop. Just indifference, lukewarmness like their water; complacency and self satisfaction reigned supreme. They were indeed self-sufficient, self-satisfied and proud of it. In fact the word laodicean became an entry in the Oxford dictionary with the meaning “half-hearted or indifferent, especially with respect to religion or politics”.
There are some things I will add in the following Gem as we look at the key points related to the church in Laodicea. The way in which Jesus has crafted His comments related to this church in the context of the city is fascinating. It is also interesting, to say the least, when we consider this is the last of the seven churches to be addressed in this letter. This church was the end of the line. I promise you there is more to come. Take the time to ponder the above information related to the city to come to your own conclusions of the meaning behind some of Jesus’ comments to this church.
Obedience to the call of God nearly always costs us everything and alienates us from the half hearted.
Ian
Jesus the Amen, the Faithful and True witness will truly truly tell you the truth about yourself.
David Pawson
Look at the difference between how the Laodiceans saw themselves in the light of Jesus’ evaluation of them.
Ian
Do you dare to ask Christ to tell you His evaluation of you and your church?
Ian
If you aren’t big enough to stand criticism, you’re too small to be praised.
Earl Deason
To be lukewarm is the greatest insult to Jesus after all He has done for you. Come on you can do better than such an insipid, sickening response.
Ian
So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to vomit you out of my mouth. Jesus
Revelation 3:16