Laodicea – Spit Out

Revelation 3:14-22

¹⁴“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

¹⁵“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!

¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

¹⁷For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

¹⁹Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

²⁰Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

²¹The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The seventh and final church in the lineup is Laodicea. After beginning with Ephesus who was charged with leaving their first love, we arrive in Laodicea and their charge is dire and unlike the six previous churches, they are commended for nothing. The warning to us cannot be overlooked or taken lightly. The final outcome of following in the path of Laodicea is destruction.

“Under the Roman Empire, Laodicea became the wealthiest city in Phrygia. Chief among its wealth were flocks of sheep, which produced a fine black wool, and production of woven garments. The city was also known for its medical school. Two of its best known medicines were ointments for the eyes and ears. The ancient god of the region was Men Carou, a god of healing. In the Hellenized city of Laodicea, people continued to worship the ancient god but identified him with Zeus, the supreme Greek god. Laodicea was also a center of the imperial cult of emperor worship, although that did not reach its height until the latter part of the second century ad. There were no extremes to its civic and cultural character and hardly any noted features. But in this even balance lies its peculiar character.”

Brighton, L. A. ©1999. Revelation (pp. 96–97). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House.

The city of Laodicea is located between to other famous cities, Hierapolis and Colossae. Hierapolis was known as a source of hot springs. People from all over the region would travel to Hierapolis to bath in the hot springs and receive healing from their aches and pains. Colossae was known for their cold, pure, refreshing water. Those in Laodicea built aqueducts from Colossae and Hierapolis in order to cash in on both the hot and cold waters. What they ended up with was lukewarm nasty water that no one wanted. Jesus uses this regional characteristic as an object lesson regarding their spiritual state.

The sin of Laodicea was apathy. They didn’t commit to anything. The sins that were listed against the earlier churches were manifested in Laodicea. The sins of the Nicolaitans and Jezebel were found right here. The water in their city mirrored their hearts – lukewarm, apathetic and worthless. But all is not lost. Jesus disciplines those He loves. The answer for them (and all of us) is repentance. Jesus calls to all of us with the same message – repent and turn to God. Jesus draws a picture for us. He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. He doesn’t bang it down; He knocks. When the door is opened He comes in and fellowship with Him is born.

William Holman Hunt (1851)