To the Church at Ephesus
Rev 2:1-7
The Preamble
Jesus holds the seven stars in his hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands
The Praise
Jesus knows their deeds, hard work, perseverance, intolerance of wicked men, testing of those who claim to be apostles and are not (correctly finding them false). They have persevered, endured hardships for His name, not grown weary, hate the practice of the Nicolaitans (which He hates).
The Problem
They have forsaken their first love
The Prescription
1) remember the height from which you have fallen
2) repent and do the things you did at first
3) if not, Jesus will come and remove their lampstand from its place
The Promise
To the overcomer, Jesus will give the right to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God
Jesus is introduced to the Ephesians as the one who holds the seven stars in his hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. In chapter 1 we learned that the seven stars are the angels/messengers/other of the seven churches and the seven lampstands represent those seven churches themselves. Why is this His particular introduction to the church?
Jesus holds the seven stars in his hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands
The Praise
Jesus knows their deeds, hard work, perseverance, intolerance of wicked men, testing of those who claim to be apostles and are not (correctly finding them false). They have persevered, endured hardships for His name, not grown weary, hate the practice of the Nicolaitans (which He hates).
The Problem
They have forsaken their first love
The Prescription
1) remember the height from which you have fallen
2) repent and do the things you did at first
3) if not, Jesus will come and remove their lampstand from its place
The Promise
To the overcomer, Jesus will give the right to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God
Jesus is introduced to the Ephesians as the one who holds the seven stars in his hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. In chapter 1 we learned that the seven stars are the angels/messengers/other of the seven churches and the seven lampstands represent those seven churches themselves. Why is this His particular introduction to the church?
What's going on? First the good. Jesus is aware of their deeds, hard work, perseverance in the face of hardship, intolerance of wickedness, and testing of false teachers and teaching, and their hatred for the practice of the Nicolaitans. Of this group we don't yet know much.
On the other hand, despite all this, they have forsaken their first love. How? What is their first love?
To fix this they have to remember the height from which they have fallen. So all of their great works to-date represent the low point in their state. They are called to repent from this. So, their first love has to do with this, most certainly, their actual love for Christ and for God, without which all they have is the appearance of good action without real heart and zeal. Whatever their activity, the motivation is all wrong. Love, as an action rather than a feeling, is something they need to actively do, as their act of repentance.
Ah-hah. The threat is that if they don't repent, Jesus will remove their lampstand. Now we understand Jesus' introduction. He walks among the lampstands, surveying the churches. He is qualified to assess the state of each church, and He controls the angels and/or the leaders of that church, and he can remove entirely the lampstand and church as He needs.
His promise, on the other hand, extends beyond churches as corporate assemblies of people and is entirely personal: he who overcomes (presumably the trials and tests they are already going through) is given the personal right to eat from the tree of life (eternal life) in God's new paradise, which calls to mind the original tree of life in the Garden of Eden which gave everlasting life.
See Wikipedia for a summary of this.
It is interesting to speculate as to the love the Ephesians had for Christ at the beginning. Paul had preached with little obvious success though the message spread, even amid opposition. Paul and his disciples preached at least two years this way. They perform miracles, and even Jewish exorcists see power in using Paul's name. Then, with the testimony of a demon that Jesus and Paul are on the same side and respected both Jews and Greeks are shocked and awakened.
It's not that the people feared of the demon, but there is a natural respect for those that a demon fears. It is similar to the instinctive fear that the disciples had of Jesus when he stood up and calmed the raging sea ("What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!") or of the Gaderenes who pleaded with Jesus to leave the region after he cast out demons who had to ask his permission to enter the pigs.
We like those who are manageable and controllable. God is something else. We are right to be terrified of Him at our initial meeting, even as we come to understand His grace to us as well.
This was made clear to the Ephesians, on the testimony of a demon! And they gave the glory to Christ.
Their initial acts are those of repentance, particularly from sorcery. Ephesus had a massive turn-around that reverberated through the region.
Their initial love seems linked to these thinks, of a shock to the senses that quickly overwhelmed sinful internal opposition. This is a lighter form of a "Road to Damascus" conversion. This is a tremendous height to have begun at; one not easily forgotten.
Yet, they began to forget. In the absence of great followup miracles, people's impressions would cloud.
Acts 19
In a way, Ephesus is now home to a conflict of gods and also a racial problem. The lessening of Artemis by Jesus exposed or added to the animosity of Greek against Jew.
An angry mob was stopped by reason this time, but only by a city official and not by Christian or Jew. The Church at Ephesus had an undeniable power with them but was starting amidst early hostility fostered by the economic consequence of that power's success. That external resentment would wear on the church going forward.
The Nicolaitans
For the Nicolaitans, it is possible that this is the same Nicholas mentioned in Acts 6:5, a deacon from Antioch and previously a Gentile convert to Judaism. Outside of another mention of this heresy affecting Pergummum, this is the only mention of Nicholas/Nicolaitans in scripture. So we don't know.
3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
See Wikipedia for a summary of this.
The Seven Sons of Sceva and Ephesus' Rapid, Tremendous Conversion
It is interesting to speculate as to the love the Ephesians had for Christ at the beginning. Paul had preached with little obvious success though the message spread, even amid opposition. Paul and his disciples preached at least two years this way. They perform miracles, and even Jewish exorcists see power in using Paul's name. Then, with the testimony of a demon that Jesus and Paul are on the same side and respected both Jews and Greeks are shocked and awakened.It's not that the people feared of the demon, but there is a natural respect for those that a demon fears. It is similar to the instinctive fear that the disciples had of Jesus when he stood up and calmed the raging sea ("What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!") or of the Gaderenes who pleaded with Jesus to leave the region after he cast out demons who had to ask his permission to enter the pigs.
We like those who are manageable and controllable. God is something else. We are right to be terrified of Him at our initial meeting, even as we come to understand His grace to us as well.
This was made clear to the Ephesians, on the testimony of a demon! And they gave the glory to Christ.
Their initial acts are those of repentance, particularly from sorcery. Ephesus had a massive turn-around that reverberated through the region.
Their initial love seems linked to these thinks, of a shock to the senses that quickly overwhelmed sinful internal opposition. This is a lighter form of a "Road to Damascus" conversion. This is a tremendous height to have begun at; one not easily forgotten.
Yet, they began to forget. In the absence of great followup miracles, people's impressions would cloud.
Acts 19
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[c] 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[c] 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Great is Artemis (Diana) of the Ephesians
Later in Acts 19, money becomes an issue. If Jesus is pre-eminent, there is less business for the silversmiths making idols of the Ephesian patron goddess.In a way, Ephesus is now home to a conflict of gods and also a racial problem. The lessening of Artemis by Jesus exposed or added to the animosity of Greek against Jew.
An angry mob was stopped by reason this time, but only by a city official and not by Christian or Jew. The Church at Ephesus had an undeniable power with them but was starting amidst early hostility fostered by the economic consequence of that power's success. That external resentment would wear on the church going forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment