Sermon Tone Analysis

The city known in the New Testament as Laodicea was founded by Antiochus II, a Seleucid king who reigned in the middle of the third century before Christ (261–246 BC).

He named the city after his wife, Laodice.

In the first century, Laodicea was known for its abundant wealth.

It had a theater, a stadium, a gymnasium, a public bath house and a medical college connected with the worship of Mên Carou (a pagan god of healing who was later assimilated with Asklepios).

In fact, this medical school produced a highly valued ointment for weak eyes (cf.

v. 18).

But most of the city’s wealth came from its banking.

In fact, Laodicea was so rich that it did not need any government assistance to rebuild after a devastating earthquake destroyed it in AD 60.

Perhaps Laodicea’s most prized product, though, was its beautiful black wool, which was unusual because of its brilliant glossy luster.

Nearby Colosse produced a glossy dark violet wool that was equally as stunning.

These were both, no doubt, the result of careful breeding.

Although these species of dark sheep thrived as late as the eighteenth century, they seem to be extinct now.

With its enormous wealth, Laodicea stood in sharp contrast with Philadel­phia.

Philadel­phia was small and weak, but had plenty of zeal.

Laodicea, on the other hand, was wealthy and powerful, but its abundance produced a spirit of indifference and apathy, which was especially evident in the church.

This was its major flaws.

The church at Laodicea was most likely established sometime during Paul’s third missionary journey (Acts 19:10).

Colossians 4:12–13 seems to indi­cate that Epaphras had taken the gospel to Colosse, Laodicea and Hierapolis after his conversion.

Paul also wrote an epistle to this congregation during his first Roman imprisonment (Col.

4:16), although that letter no longer exists.[1]

In Revelation, Christ offered no commendation to this congregation.

The reason for this is clear: the church’s love for worldly riches had choked its love for him.

It had become indifferent to the things of God.

Christ message to this church is like no other.

He said that he was disgusted with it: he was about to spew it out of his mouth (v.

16).

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A Lukewarm Church

By contrast, Christ identified himself to the church at Laodicea in verse 14 as /the Amen/.

The Hebrew word /amen/ means “so shall it surely be.”

It expresses a person’s hearty agreement with what has been said or done.

Here Christ himself is the Amen.

That is, he not only speaks the truth of the Father, but he is himself that truth.

The use of the word /amen/ as a name or title comes from Isaiah 65:16 — the only other passage in the entire Bible that uses the word /amen/ like this.

In Isaiah God calls himself “the God of amen” (אלֹהֵי אָמֵן).

To impress the meaning of this even more clearly upon an audience that would not have been familiar with the Hebrew text of Isaiah, the Lord added that he is also /the faithful and true witness/.

Interestingly, the word translated /true/ here is the same word that the translators of the Septuagint used to render the word /amen/ in Isaiah, and both /true/ and /faithful/ are equivalents of /amen/, which means that the second phrase is a literary expansion of the first.

The point is that Christ is true to his Word, true to himself, and true to his people.

There is no apathy or indifference in him.

Unlike the brethren in Laodicea, he is genuine.

He gave himself wholly, body and soul, to bear the wrath of God so that those who believe in him might have everlasting life.

Christ also gives hope.

In spite of the church’s artificiality, he assured it that it was not beyond repair.

This is what he meant when he designated himself further as /the beginning of the creation of God/.

Early Arians and modern Jehovah’s Witnesses interpret this self-designation of Christ to mean nothing more than that Christ was the first thing that God created.

God made Christ, and then through Christ he made everything else.

But this makes no sense here.

How would the notion that Christ is the first creature have given the Laodiceans hope or encouraged them to improve in their faithfulness?

It’s more likely that this title means the same thing here the /firstborn/ means in Colossians 1. Remember that these two churches — Colosse and Laodicea — passed Paul’s epistles back and forth (cf.

Col. 4:16).

And what did Paul write to the church at Colosse?

He wrote that Christ is /the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist/ (Col.

1:15–17).

In these few words, we find an extremely rich Christology.

Paul asserted that Christ’s dignity, power, authority, glory and prerogative are equal with the Father’s.

In particular, he is the sovereign creator of all things, who created the vast universe for his own pleasure.

Since these attributes are true only of God, Christ himself must be God.

Further, if we connect /the beginning of the creation of God/ in our text with /the first begotten of the dead/ in Revelation 1:5, then the meaning is even more specific.

It’s not so much that Christ is the author of the all creation, which is certainly true, but rather that he is distinctively the author of the new creation.

This is further supported by the fact that Isaiah, after mentioning the blessing of “the God of amen,” immediately quotes God as saying, /For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind/ (Isa.

65:17).

The new creation, according to Revelation 21:5, is the result of Christ’s work.

Because Christ himself is faithful and true, the promise of the new creation is also faithful and true (οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοὶ καὶ πιστοί εἰσιν; cf.

Rev. 22:6).

In the context, these self-descriptions of Christ were meant as an encouragement for the church at Laodicea.

As the creator of new life, the Lord Jesus Christ has both the power and authority, if he chooses to exercise it, to give healing and life to a church that was teetering on the edge of destruction.

This church needed his renewing power.

Although its condition was miserable, the Lord had not yet given up on the church at Laodicea.

The Greek text of verse 16 literally says, “I am at the point of spewing you out of my mouth” (μέλλω σε ἐμέσαι ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου).

He had not already done so, nor had he decided irreversibly to do so, but he was about to.

If the church did not repent, the Lord would spew it out of his mouth.

The problem with the church at Laodicea that made Christ want to spew it out of his mouth is that it was lukewarm.

Everyone who lived in Laodicea in the first century would have known immediately what this meant.

Laodicea was situated at the intersection of four major trade routes.

This site was obviously chosen for its strategic importance for commerce.

Unfortunately, there were no natural sources of water in the immediate vicinity.

Water had to be piped in from the hot springs of Hierapolis, i.e., a distance of about six miles.

The water leaving Hieropolis was hot, but by the time it reached Laodicea it was only lukewarm.

It was barely drinkable.

Some have even described it as nauseating.

This raises an interesting question.

The hot water from the springs at Hieropolis was obviously good.

It was saturated with numerous minerals, which, although making the water very hard, were believed to have healing power.

So, a bath in the hot water was considered medicinal.

But Jesus also approved of the cold water.

He said that he wished the church were either hot or cold.

The cold waters probably refer to the pure, sparkling waters of Colosse.

The coolness of these waters could refresh and revive the weariest soul.

So, the point is not that hot is good and cold is bad.

Both hot and cold are good and useful.

It’s the lukewarm water that has no use.

A person could bathe in it if he wanted to, but who would?

And the high mineral content made it almost undrinkable.

Sadly, Laodicea had no choice.

It was the only water available.

The church of Laodicea was as pathetic as its water supply.

Its ministry could neither heal the faint nor refresh the weary.

Why?

Because its lust for worldly things and indifference to the blessings of God (which probably included a degree of compromise as well) rendered its witness to Christ completely ineffectual.

When the Lord said, /I know thy works/, in verse 15, he meant that the church had nothing to offer (v.

15).

Having an attitude of indifference is destructive enough, but the Laodiceans were even worse than this.

According to verse 17, they had deceived themselves into thinking that they were accomplishing great and wonderful things for the kingdom of God.

They said among themselves, /I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing/ (cf. the boasting of Ephraim in Hos.

12:8).

One commentator notes that it is almost impossible to do anything with people who are satisfied with their own accomplish­ments.