E. To The Church Of Sardis (3:1-6)
E. TO THE CHURCH OF SARDIS (3:1-6)
Situated at the junction of five roads, and commanding the Hermus valley, Sardis was an active commercial city and very wealthy. It had been the capital of Croesus who was proverbial for his riches. The city’s easy wealth seems to have made for slackness. It was captured by Cyrus the Persian (549 BC) and by Antiochus (218 BC), both times because of its slackness. The city was built on a hill so steep that its defences seemed impregnable. On both occasions enemy troops scaled the precipice by night and found that the over-confident Sardians had set no guard. A great earthquake in AD 17 made a profound impression. But the city was soon rebuilt, partly owing to generous aid from the emperor Tiberius.
The most important religion at Sardis was the worship of Cybele. John does not mention anything like the persecutions at Smyrna and Pergamum or the heresies of the Nicolaitans. It may be that this church had not suffered disturbance from without and that its troubles stemmed from its comparatively sheltered existence. The temptation for the sheltered is always to take things easy, and they readily become slack. Like the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira this one has a mixed membership. But in those the faulty members are a minority. At Sardis they predominate. Only ‘a few people’ have not ’soiled their clothes‘.
1.
The seven spirits of God may denote the Holy Spirit (see on 1:4), and the form of expression seems to show that Christ gives the Spirit. The seven stars are the ‘angels’ of the churches (1:20) and they appear here in Christ’s control. After this reminder of the dignity of the risen Christ there is a sharp condemnation of the church at Sardis. It has a good reputation, a reputation of being alive, but in fact it is dead (cf. 2 Tim. 3:5; Jas. 2:17). No condemnation could be sharper. Paul speaks of a very different attitude, ’dying, and yet we live on’ (2 Cor. 6:9).
2. Wake up! (cf. Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 16:13) is rather ‘Be watchful’ (A V; the tense indicates a continuing state). This must have come home with peculiar force to the church in a city which had twice been captured owing to its failure to watch. Lack of spiritual vigilance may likewise be costly. All was not yet lost, for there are things that remain. But even these are about to die. Unless an ember is fanned into flames it is lost. This church may have pleased men but it did not please God. Nothing it did was complete in the sight of my God; its works were not brought to fulfilment. Why did both Jews and Romans leave this church undisturbed (unlike some of its neighbours)? The answer may well be its lack of aggressive and positive Christianity. ’Content with mediocrity, lacking both the enthusiasm to entertain a heresy and the depth of conviction which provokes intolerance, it was too innocuous to be worth persecuting’ (Caird).
3. Remember (mn
moneue) is a present imperative with the meaning ‘bear in mind’ (rather than ’recall‘). What is rather ’how’ and refers to the manner of their hearing of the gospel, while received and heard point to its derivative nature. Obey (better ‘keep’, as RSV) is present imperative and enjoins a continuing activity, while repent (aorist) is urgent. If the church does not watch, Christ will come to it like a thief. This proverbial expression for unexpectedness (Mt. 24:43; 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10) is further emphasized with you will not know at what time I will come to you. This is not a reference to the second coming, which will take place whether the Sardians are watchful or not. But Christ comes in many ways and this is clearly a limited coming in judgment on unrepentant sinners. Their fate is none the less fearsome because left undefined.
moneue) is a present imperative with the meaning ‘bear in mind’ (rather than ’recall‘). What is rather ’how’ and refers to the manner of their hearing of the gospel, while received and heard point to its derivative nature. Obey (better ‘keep’, as RSV) is present imperative and enjoins a continuing activity, while repent (aorist) is urgent. If the church does not watch, Christ will come to it like a thief. This proverbial expression for unexpectedness (Mt. 24:43; 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10) is further emphasized with you will not know at what time I will come to you. This is not a reference to the second coming, which will take place whether the Sardians are watchful or not. But Christ comes in many ways and this is clearly a limited coming in judgment on unrepentant sinners. Their fate is none the less fearsome because left undefined.4. John speaks of a few ‘names’ which NIV renders people (cf.11:13; Acts 1:15). Defiled clothing is a piece of imagery whose general significance is plain but whose detailed meaning is not quite so clear. Moffatt, however, speaks of votive inscriptions in Asia Minor which show that dirty clothing was held to dishonour the deity, so that those who wore soiled garments were debarred from worshipping.
Walking with Christ in white has been understood by some as a reference to purity, by others to festivity, by others to victory. Beckwith sees it as ‘a standing characteristic of the blessed and of heavenly beings’. All these views are possible, and examples can be adduced to support each. But, as Farrer points out, the parallel with the name left in the book of life in the next verse ‘strongly suggests that the white robes signify justification’. Those who have not defiled their garments, then, walk with Christ (contrast Jn. 6:66, where ‘followed’ is really ’alked with’) in accordance with their status as justified persons. For they are worthy does not mean that they have merited their justification, but that they have done nothing to forfeit it.
5. Again we have a reference to being dressed in white, this time to say that one so clothed will not have his name removed from the book of life. Christ will confess him before the Father and the angels. All these expressions help bring out the heavenly standing of those who belong to Christ. In highest heaven they have nothing to fear. When Jesus Christ vouches for anyone that person is accepted. Jesus said he would confess before the angels anyone who confesses him (Lk. 12:8-9; he will also deny one who denies him). The final chord struck in this message to the needy church of Sardis is one of hope and encouragement.
6.
For
He who has an ear...,
see note on 2:7.