1st city --Ephesus
Revelation’s “Diamond Word” for Ephesus:
“Turn us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned;
renew our days as of old” (Lamentations 5:21).
The largest city, Ephesus, had a fantastic Christian history. St. Paul stayed there for over two years (c. 55-56 C.E.), his longest stay anywhere( Acts 19:8-10). A city of over 200,000 people (the fourth largest in the Roman empire) it was home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Diana (or Artemis), the mother goddess of Asia. Paul’s preaching cut into the silversmith’s sales of household shrines to Diana. These artisans started a riot to drive Paul out (Acts 19:21-41). One of the city officials stilled the tumult, but Paul left anyway. (Acts 19: 21-41).
Paul stirred up coal-hot fervor in the cities where he preached. Unfortunately, by the time Revelation was written (c. 90 C.E.) Christians in Ephesus had lost that early fire for the Lord. ‘I have this against you,” says Jesus, ”you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev. 2:40). Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew predicted this would happen. “And because lawlessness shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold” (Mathew 24:12).
What was this “lawlessness” in Ephesus? Was a crime wave rushing through this important city, making Christians’ love grow cold? No. Another law has vanished from the Ephesian churches – the law St. Paul wrote about in his letter to the Galatians: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
Jesus put it this way: “This is my commandment , that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has great love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13).
What’s Jesus’ remedy for this loss of love? “Repent!” he says, or I will snuff out your candles.” How could good, sweet Jesus say such a thing?
We need to look at Luther’s insight as to how Biblical commands work. First, they tell us to do something we simply cannot accomplish by our own reason and strength. But they also announce what Jesus is about to do for us. “Repent” means ”Turn your lives around.” Since no one wants to do that, God will do it for us.
He sends his turn-around, Gospel Word to us in the Bible, in sermons, in our conversations with one another, and in uncomfortable situations that change our lives. Luther wrote, “Like iron, the Gospel CRUSHES, CRUMBLES, AND SHAPES EVERYTHING. It puts the misshapen in order, it smooths the rough places, it gets rid of rust.”
(I’ve had a lot of rust scraped off my personality, attitudes and behavior since my wife died. Jesus has turned me inside out and backwards. I used to ask, “Why me, Lord?;” I now pray, “Thank you, Jesus.”)
“Repent!” is not a fierce “turn or burn” warning from Jesus. It’s really a prediction that Jesus will rescue those Ephesian Christian ensnared in their selfish, “it’s all about me” brambles. He will bring them back to the flock where they can bear each other’s burdens, as “in the days of old.”.
He does that for us every day of our lives.