SMYRNA The suffering church Revelation 2v8-11.
Why do God's people suffer in this world? It was true in old testament times, it was true in the days of the early church, it is true now. Only God has the answer. The dilemma as to why God allows His people to suffer is explored in Psalm 73 and other Psalms and in Habakkuk etc. etc. It has always been and it will always be. Certainly Christ Himself suffered more than any man (Isaiah 52 - 53; Psalm 22). The apostle Paul spoke of "filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ." Jesus Himself said to His disciples " in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world." (John 16v33). Paul wrote to Timothy saying "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
The meaning of the name Smyrna comes from myrrh, which is a gummy natural resin obtained from thorn trees. The characteristic of myrrh is that it was bitter to the taste, but sweet to the smell; it produced a fantastic fragrance especially when placed above the flame. What a graphic image this is of the experience of the people at the church at Smyrna. Myrrh appears in the bible many times; it was an ingredient of the holy anointing oil in the tabernacle; it was seen as a sensuous perfume in the Song of Solomon, and it was used as an aid to embalming dead bodies. Its usage in connection with the story of Jesus Christ is first in Matthew 2, in the context of His attempted assassination by Herod, and then again in the gospel of John 19, as part of the embalming spices of His dead body. There can be no better image than myrrh to describe the suffering of Christ in this world and that of His people. To this church in the midst of their suffering Jesus speaks. He introduces Himself as "the first and the last and he who became dead and is alive." The first and the last means He is the Eternal One; he was there at the beginning of it all and He will be there at the end. We have already seen this title to mean His sovereign control of all earthly events. He mentions His death and His resurrection. He did not die of natural causes, He voluntarily went into death, came through death, and conquered death, and now lives forever more. All associated with Him will experience the same and should their suffering in this world mean even death, He is in absolute control.
- The commendation - Unlike four of the other churches, there is no condemnation of this church at all. In the true style of the perfect servant in Isaiah 42v3 "a bruised reed He will not break." he has nothing but praise for the bruised people of Smyrna. Indeed the other church He does not condemn (Philadelphia) would come under the second heading in Isaiah 42 "a smoking flax He will not quench." This was the church described as "having a little strength." They were weak, but He would fan the flame. In these two churches the Perfect Servant acts in accord with the prophecy. He does not break the bruised reed, He will fan the flame of the smoking flax. He says "I know thy tribulation and thy poverty." Works is omitted in most manuscripts. These people had no time or resources to do works for God. They were under extreme tribulation. Before we consider these things we must take account of the precious truth that HE KNOWS, He knows everything that His people are going through. The word for tribulation means pressure not simply the trials which are common to man. They were real stresses brought upon them by their faith in Christ. He continues "I know thy poverty; the word means beggarly, abject poverty. In a wealthy city they were reduced to poverty: this was not due to laziness or lack of business acumen but because of their faith in Christ. Possibly they were denied employment by the ungodly trade guilds who controlled employment; possibly the state had confiscated their possessions, we can only guess, but the end result was extreme poverty. The Lord's comment on this is very revealing, He says "but thou art rich!" Materially poor, spiritually rich. The graphic image of myrrh is coming out. The situation was bitter to their taste, but it brought a fragrance to the heavenly watchers (sweet to the smell). This is the opposite to the situation in the church at Laodicea. There he said "thou sayest I am rich, increased with goods, have need of nothing; thou knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." Smyrna was poor materially but rich spiritually; Laodicea was rich materially and poverty stricken spiritually.
The church at Smyrna mirrors the character of the church at Macedonia "in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." (2nd Corinthians 8v2). There is no shame or disgrace so far as heaven is concerned with earthly poverty, unlike the standards of this world. Poverty is seen by the world to be an evil which is at the root of many other evils, the eradication of which will solve many problems. God says differently, that "the love of money is the root of all evil" and there are people who are materially poor but spiritually rich.
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