3:14
We now come to what is probably the most famous of the seven letters, the one to the church at Laodicea. This is well known for two reasons, one is Jesus’ threat to spew the church out of His mouth, and the other is the “I stand at the door and knock” phrase at the end of the letter. This latter phrase is widely associated with evangelism, though in its context it is directed at a complacent church.
Laodicea was a very prosperous commercial city, arguably the most prosperous city. It also had a large and prosperous Jewish community. It seems from the letter that the church suffered no persecution from the Jews nor the Gentiles. All the content of the letter is directed at the church itself and its attitudes. The city was famous for banking and textiles, and also had a medical school. The major deficiency it had was the lack of a local water supply, so water had to be piped in. Water that was cool was excellent for refreshing a thirsty person. Bathing in water that was hot could be therapeutically beneficial. Water that was lukewarm was neither. Moreover, to make matter worse the water contained sediment. If the water had been hot then this could have helped on the radox bath front, but as it wasn’t it just added to the unpleasant taste of the water. The content of the letter relates closely to the known situation of the city.
“The Amen” means “the one who is truth”. Jesus also refers to Himself as the “faith and true witness” and as the “ruler of God’s creation”. The city’s wealth was a delusion. Also, wealthy people often claim to be founts of wisdom. Jesus is the only source of wisdom. He is also the ruler of all creation, not the seemingly powerful and comfortable bankers and traders in Laodicea.
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