Smyrna: 'Til Death Do Us Part - Revelation 2:8-11
Because of a shortage of maids, the minister’s wife advertised for a manservant.
The next morning a nicely dressed young man came to the front door. “Can you start breakfast by seven o’clock,” asked the minister.
“I guess so,” answered the man.
“Can you polish all the silver, wash all the dishes, do the laundry, take care of the lawn, wash windows, iron clothes, and keep the house neat and tidy?”
“Say, preacher,” said the young fellow rather meekly, “I came here to see about getting married, but if it’s going to be as much work as all that, you can count me out right now.”
Let me share with you a few more marriage stories:
A couple had been married for 45 years and had raised a brood of 11 children and were blessed with 22 grandchildren.
When asked the secret for staying together all that time, the wife replies, “Many years ago we made a promise to each other: the first one to pack up and leave has to take all the kids.”
On their 50th wedding anniversary, a couple summed up the reason for their long and happy marriage.
The husband said, “I have tried never to be selfish. After all, there is no “I” in the word ‘marriage.”
The wife said, “For my part, I have never corrected my husband’s spelling.”
A colleague of mine in Minnesota offers this advice during a few of the weddings that he officiates, especially when the groom needs a little direction in married life. He addresses the couple, “In your vows, you will pledge to be as one until death do you part. To make that happen you both need to make some adjustments in your life. For instance, when you argue—and you will have disagreements—there will sometimes be leftover anger and frustration. When that happens the one who is wrong should go for a long walk to cool off.” Then he turns and addresses the bride, saying, “Now, ___________, I want you to promise to buy your husband a new pair of walking boots on the anniversary of your wedding day.”
Despite all of this humor about marriage, the sad thing is, my brothers and sisters, that, whether it be from disagreements, adultery, abuse, addictions, or for some other reason, the number of divorces in the United States continues to be slightly above fifty percent of the number of marriages that take place.[i] Recent figures though, suggest that there have been a decline in the number of divorces each year, the problem is, though, that it is matched by a decline in the number of marriages…less couples divorcing may be because less couples are choosing to make that commitment and covenant to one another, choosing sleepovers and shacking up to marriage.
What does any of this have to do with our journey through Revelation? Hopefully that will become clear as we move forward today.
We have journeyed now from the port city of Ephesus and its church, northward to the church in Smyrna, another port city along the Mediterranean Sea. Jesus is sending words of hope and correction to seven of the churches in Asia Minor who are really struggling under the persecution of Rome. While John, in the vision that God is giving him, is being directed to address each of these letters to specific congregations, the fact that each letter includes, “Let anyone who has an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches,” we are reminded that Jesus is not just speaking to that individual congregation, but to all the churches as they had come to be at that point…and for that matter all the churches that have come to be at this point. Jesus, through John, is saying, “if this shoe fits, then wear it.”
We discussed that each letter, for the most part, fits into a template of: 1) a greeting and connection to John’s vision in 1:12-19, 2) a commendation/compliment, 3) a concern/reprimand/call to repentance/warning, 4) a promise of reward, and 5) the statement of “Let anyone who has an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
So how does this play out in Smyrna…and what are those of us with ears supposed to hear for today to offer us guidance and hope?
It begins: “…to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life…” We connect back to chapter one by remembering that the Son of Man, who is speaking, Jesus, is the first and the last…the one who came before all things and the one who will remain after all things. Smyrna, and any who hear, are reminded that even the specter of death could not have the final word in Jesus’ life.
Moving to the commendation, the words of recognition of Jesus about the faithfulness of the people, we read, “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich.” Affliction and poverty, yet rich… It calls to mind another letter…Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians in which Paul writes, “As we work together with him, we urge you not to accept the grace of god in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, an see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”[ii]
John’s and Paul’s words connect that while the folks in Smyrna may be undergoing great affliction—hurting, sick, dying—and find themselves in terrible poverty—not being able to put enough food on the table to feed a family—that they are rich. Like Paul and his coworkers in the ministry, the folks in Smyrna have realized that their wealth is not found in the coins in their pocket or the food in their cupboard…their health is not determined by the physical illnesses they endure…they are rich in that they are committed to God and have been filled with His grace. The things of this world do not determine their status and well-being.
What do those of us with ears hear the Spirit saying to us? Don’t let your social standing—it doesn’t matter whether you fit in with the elite or have a country club membership or not; don’t let your income level—it doesn’t matter whether you are making 1 mil a year, barely pulling 12k a year, or that you are unemployed; don’t let your suffering—it doesn’t matter whether you are sitting well or standing in line at the soup kitchen; don’t let these things define who you are or your worth, especially if you have found yourself in this place because of your faith…if you are faithful to God then you will find that you are rich in His grace.
Jesus goes on to say to Smyrna, “I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are of a synagogue of Satan.” Let me begin by saying that this is no criticism of the Jews. Scholars are not clear whether this reference is to traditional Jews, Jewish Christians, or those who are Christians but are observing Jewish practices…in any regard, this is not a slam on Judaism. Jesus is saying, I know you are dealing with those in your midst who claim to be of God’s people, but they are not. They are slandering you, criticizing you, insulting you, suggesting that they are right, but they are not…they are actually of Satan.
We can understand this. We have encountered people who have claimed the name of God’s people…who claim to be Christians…yet their efforts to claim themselves as holy and chosen are reflected in their criticism and putting down of others. Their words and actions to not build up God’s church, but tear it apart…and regardless of the faith they claim, anything that tears down the church and leaves it in ashes or rubble is not of God, but of Satan, regardless of the claims of faithfulness.
So we see that Jesus recognizes the faithfulness of the people of Smyrna in the midst of affliction, poverty, and slander. Now, if we follow our template, we come to the correction or criticism of Smyrna. Yet, Jesus doesn’t. There is not a correction or criticism for Smyrna…only a warning. It is almost as if Jesus is saying, it has been bad for you, but it is going to get worse: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death….”
The warning to the church in Smyrna is that because of your faith you may have been persecuted for your faith to the point that you have found yourself in poverty…as we will learn more and more in our journey through Revelation that a great deal of the persecution that the people endured was financial persecution…Jesus is saying now, that you will find it getting even worse…you may even find yourselves imprisoned for your faith…and it is how you respond to that imprisonment and the coming affliction that will make clear just how true your faith is.
Then Jesus says, “for ten days you will have affliction.” Some scholars suggest that in telling the people that the affliction will last for “ten days,” that Jesus is telling the people that the affliction will only last a short time…a week and a half is not a long time to have to endure. On the other hand, if we check our apocalyptic symbolism chart, we see that “10” is a significant number. While “7” suggested inclusiveness as it has come to be for today, maturation…”10” is all inclusive. That would significantly change what Jesus is saying to Smyrna…it would then read “for all of your days you will have affliction.”
Most of us would like to hear that the affliction is going to be short lived…only a week and a half or so. Not many of us want to hear that our suffering and struggling is going to be there all of our lives. Which one should we hear? Consider the next words out of Jesus’ mouth… “Be faithful until death.” Given the context, we can hear Jesus saying, some of you may have to suffer all of your lives…be faithful until you reach the end.”
This takes us back to the ideas of marriage and divorce…appropriate images considering the great wedding we will encounter later in Revelation. Now where there are many instances in which one spouse will kill a marriage, not in the courts, but through inflicting abuse on his or her partner, through leaving his or her partner for another, or through choosing to be bonded to addictions rather than his or her spouse, many marriages find themselves terminated because the couple has hit a little rough patch or they have “fallen out of love.” The vow to be wed “‘til death do we part,” is forgotten, and it becomes “‘til we have a hard time getting along,” or “‘til we find something we like better,” or “‘til we have to work at it real hard.” Unfortunately, there are many whose respond to their faith in the same way. It is easy for them to have faith in God and remain faithful in the good times…but let some suffering come their way…a disease, a death, a job loss, conflict with a brother or sister, or so on, and they compromise their beliefs, or they walk away from God altogether. Suggest that they may have to choose between employment and unemployment, food or starvation, life and physical death and remaining true to God, and like a husband or wife that decides it is just too hard to make this marriage work anymore, they bail on God.
Jesus, though calls the folks in Smyrna, and any who will hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches to be faithful unto death…‘til death do we part this world. Here’s the word of hope coming…Jesus says if his followers will be faithful unto death then He will give them the crown of life. Just as the warning to the folks in Ephesus from the one who walks among the lampstands was that if they were not faithful, He would take their lampstand…here the one who is the first and the last, the one who dead and came to life says if you will remain faithful to death, I will give you the crown of life…even if you are killed in the midst of your suffering and struggling, know that I am the one in control of whether you live and die, and if you stay true to me, you will still have life…
Jesus says to those who conquer…to those who refused to give in…you will not be harmed by the second death. While we will all endure physical death, when it comes to spiritual death, whether we spend eternity with Christ, or forever separated from God…it is dependent upon whether we remain faithful until death.
Can we remain as faithful to Christ as those in the church in Smyrna?
Can we remain as faithful to Christ as Tom Little and the nine other Christian missionaries executed by the Taliban in August of this year?
Can we remain as faithful to Christ as Graham Stains, who with his two young children, was burned to death in 1999 while a missionary in India.
Can we remain as faithful to Christ as Kristine Luken, stabbed to death outside of Jerusalem, while on a mission trip to bring Jewish folks to faith in Christ?
Can we remain as faithful to God as Jesus—who, though arrested, humiliated, scoured, and crucified, turned His eyes Heavenward and said, “Father, into Your hands, I commend my spirit?”
If so, it is this same Jesus who says, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life…whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.” And comparing our 10, 20, 30, or even 100 years to eternity…it will seem like only ten days…
My brothers and sisters, let us be faithful to Him, ‘til death do we part.
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