The seven churches: Smyrna
Imagine what it would be like to be a member and attend worship at the largest Christian church in Tehran. That is comparable to what it was like to be a Christian church member in Smyrna.
Smyrna was a beautiful seaport city about forty miles north of Ephesus in what is now modern-day Turkey. The city was rich and famous for its advanced learning, especially in science and medicine. Smyrna was also known for its undivided loyalty to the Roman Empire.
It was also the first city to build a temple to honor a Roman emperor. Smyrna passed a law requiring every citizen to present a pinch of incense at the temple and speak, “Caesar is lord.” The Christian confession of faith has always been, “Jesus is Lord.” Understandably, most Christians refused to obey Smyrna’s temple law and honor Caesar. The resulting persecution was miserable, often resulting in a sentence of death for many of the Christians in the city.
The Source of their faith
Jesus’ message to the Christians of Smyrna:
Jesus was identifying his divine nature when he told John, “The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life” (Revelation 2:8). Jesus wanted the people in Smyrna who were suffering great persecution to remember that they had chosen to believe in him, the One who had always existed and the One who had died and then came back to life. The Christians in Smyrna had witnessed or experienced the persecution a faithful Christian could face, and Jesus reminded them that they were followers of the Son of God. Their faith was in the truth: “Jesus is Lord.” Jesus’ resurrection was proof that he had always been Lord and always would be.
Jesus then told John to write this message to the pastor, “the angel” in Smyrna: “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)” (Revelation 2:9a). Jesus told the pastor and the people that he knew what they were enduring.
Sometimes pain, grief, or persecution for our faith can cause us to feel isolated and different from everyone else. When Christians refuse to believe what is popular truth because we choose instead to accept the clear truth of Scripture, we can feel persecuted for our faith, too. Jesus would remind us that our faith and our future are secure. Jesus knows you have made him your Lord, and you have chosen to place your faith in him. Jesus wants you to know that whatever your circumstances are here on earth, you are rich as a child of God. You have “set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).
The source of Smyrna’s suffering
It would have been normal for the people of Smyrna to blame the leaders and citizens of Rome for their suffering. Jesus had a different message for the Christians, identifying the true source of their persecution and slander as “those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9b).
The leaders and government of Rome were persecuting the people of Smyrna, but the Jewish leaders and the Jewish people were also attacking them. Jesus didn’t blame the Romans or the Jewish people; he blamed Satan, who was their motivator. Jesus taught the Christians to look past the lost people to the one who wants them to be lost.
Jesus taught the Christians of Smyrna and Christians today to look past the faces who slander us or treat us wrongly because of our faith. Instead, we should see the face of evil, our real enemy. Paul taught a similar lesson saying, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). How might it change our emotions and our actions if we lived with this perspective? How would we treat people if we saw them as lost and usable by Satan to do his work against us?
The Source of our strength
Jesus wanted the Christians in Smyrna to know that he understood how difficult their lives were, but he also wanted them to understand who they should truly blame for their suffering. Then, Jesus told Christians, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
Jesus did not promise the Christians that he would end or limit their suffering on earth. Instead, Jesus taught them their suffering would end forever in heaven. This would have been difficult for the people in Smyrna to hear, and it is difficult truth for us as well. Jesus taught Christians not to fear the things of this world because suffering would only be for “ten days,” meaning a short amount of time. Jesus encouraged his children to “be faithful unto death” because the only crown worth pursuing is “the crown of life.” The word “crown” in this verse refers to the crown awarded to a person at the end of a race.
Why did God allow the Christians of Smyrna to suffer such slander and persecution? They suffered “so that” they could be “tested” or purified by their tribulation. Their eternal reward would be a crown that would mark them as victorious in their faith, for all eternity.
According to Open Doors’ World Watch List top 50, 310 million Christians face very high or extreme levels of persecution. According to Christianity Today, “Overall, more than 380 million Christians live in nations with high levels of persecution or discrimination. That’s 1 in 7 Christians worldwide, including 1 in 5 believers in Africa, 2 in 5 in Asia, and 1 in 16 in Latin America.” Those statistics don’t include nations like America. We might feel persecuted at times for our faith, but our persecution doesn’t reach the levels necessary to be considered persecuted by the world’s standards. Hundreds of millions of our Christian brothers and sisters live faithfully every day, knowing their faith could cost them or their loved ones their lives. Jesus didn’t promise them or us an easy life on earth. He promises that our faith can sustain us to live without fear because we are promised an eternity living with a victor’s crown.
Are his promises enough for your pain or suffering today?
Do his words encourage or discourage you today?
Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (Revelation 2:11). Will you listen to and hear the truth of Jesus’ words today?
Jesus taught that our faith is to be grounded in the truth of the Source of our faith. Christians say, “Jesus is Lord,” but we must also make him Lord of every choice and circumstance in our earthly lives. Jesus is our King, and we can’t allow anything else to occupy his throne. When Jesus is truly our Lord, we can overcome slander, persecution, suffering, and all other hardships because we know our best hope is eternal, not earthly.
None of us will succeed all the time. Only Jesus could claim that. But we can choose what Jesus taught the Christians in Smyrna to choose. Our joy, our hope, our reward rest in things eternal. Are there earthly goals in your life? Are there people you continue to blame, or do you look past their faces and see the evil face of their motivator? Have you ever been motivated by the evil one to slander or persecute someone?
Those are hard and humbling thoughts, but if the truth leads you to call out to Jesus not just as your Savior but as your Lord, then obedience to Jesus’ words for Smyrna can become your blessing and one day, your eternal crown. We serve a God of grace, but we are called to serve him as our King.
Will you make him your King again today and say with the people of Smyrna, “Jesus is my Lord”?
