Revelation 3:7-13 To the Church in Philadelphia

 

Jesus is writing to the church in the city of Philadelphia, which means ‘brotherly love.’ The city was named Philadelphia to honor Attalus II who was honored for his loyalty with the nickname Philadelphos, literally one who loves his brother, by his elder brother, Eumenes II, king of Lydia. Philadelphia was founded in 189 BC along one of the major trade roads that led to the east.

In 133 BC, the Romans conquered the city. During the centuries before Jesus, Jewish families settled in the cities of western Asia Minor. Later on, Philadelphia is one of the cities St. Ignatius visits on his trip to his martyrdom in Rome and which he sent a letter. Philadelphia was built near the Anatolian fault lines, and suffered from earthquakes. An earthquake in the year 17 AD was so devastating that the Roman emperor Tiberius relieved the city of paying taxes. That’s how bad the destruction was! Philadelphia remained a prosperous city into Byzantine times. Now Jesus sends the church a letter praising them for keeping his word and not denying his name.

Jesus introduces himself as the one who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. Holy and true is easy to understand as Jesus is God and holiness is just who and what he is, and if you’re seeking to find out the truth about life, about who God is and who we are called to be, turn to Jesus and his life and teaching. It’s that reference to the key of David that sends us looking to the rest of Scripture to see what its importance is. Earlier in chapter 1 we read, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7–8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” After Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus tells him in Matthew 16, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus’s words echo back the angel’s words in Luke, ^“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end,” As we read this letter, we can see this key of David is connected to the kingdom of heaven. Now this is a church made up of Jews and Gentiles. This wasn’t always an easy relationship, but it’s working here. We also hear that they’re not a strong church and still they remain true to Jesus instead of being overwhelmed by the culture around them.

Jesus knows them, knows their hearts and commitment to him. This is why he’s placed an open door before them that no one can shut. Jesus, through his death on the cross for our sin and resurrection from the dead, shows his power over Hades and death, and has opened the door to the kingdom of heaven for both Jew and Gentile. This echoes God’s blessing to Abraham in Genesis 12, that he’s going to make Abraham’s descendants a blessing to all nations. The blessing God is talking about is the welcoming of the nations into the kingdom of heaven!

How are the nations invited to come through the open door into the kingdom of heaven? Charles Spurgeon writes about the believers in Philadelphia, “What had these Philadelphian believers done that they should be praised? What they did was this— they kept the word of God: “Thou hast kept my word, and thou hast not denied my name.” They’re not ashamed of following Jesus, they’ve not fallen sleep, lost their first love for Jesus, or followed different teachings. They’re keeping Jesus’ word, working at living out his teaching and imitating his life to become more like Jesus. They’re not ashamed of Jesus’ name. The believers heard Jesus’ warning in Luke 9 and take it seriously, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

This open door cannot be closed again because Jesus has opened it. Those who are of the synagogue of Satan are likely Jews who are against the Gentiles being welcomed into the blessing of Abraham. This goes against everything they’ve believed about themselves for thousands of years; that they’re God’s chosen special people. They find it hard to understand that God chose them to open up the kingdom of heaven through being the blessing God has called them to be; that God so loves the world that he gave his son Jesus so that whoever believes in him shall not perish. God’s focus has always been on inviting the entire world to come through the open door into the kingdom of heaven.

This comes at a cost to the church, they’ve endured patiently, so Jesus promises to keep them from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world. It’s not always easy to be a follower of Jesus, they have little strength, Jesus says. Perhaps Jesus is saying this because they’re a small congregation, or perhaps because there are many new believers who haven’t experienced persecution and so find themselves sometimes wavering in their faith, perhaps it’s because the persecution is so strong that even if you’re strong, your own strength won’t be enough to stand against it. We hear an echo to Jesus say to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Throughout the history of the church, people have marvelled at how regular people could stand extreme pain, torture, and persecution and still not turn their back on Jesus. In many cases they became stronger the greater the suffering. Often faith grows deeper as people suffer the pains and sorrows of life when they lose loved ones, experience great losses, they still turn to God and place their lives in his hands. They hear the Word of God and love it. They listen to the teachings of Jesus and they believe it and live it out. They confess Jesus’ name, guiding people to the open door of the kingdom even when it costs them. There are stories of believers who suffer greatly in Palestine, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa tells stories of great forgiveness by Jesus followers, similar stories come out of the Rwandan massacre and its process of healing.

How we live is part of our witness; how we respond to hard times, to painful times. Do we respond by relying on our own strength and trust in our own wisdom and abilities? This can lead us to become proud, which leads to less compassion and empathy for those around us who are struggling. Or do we grumble or complain about the unfairness of life, are we self centered in our suffering and hard times? This leads us to think that we’re owed a better life, that others have an obligation to take care of us and make us happy and do things our way.

Or do we show our faith in Jesus, trusting that he’s with us in whatever we’re going through when life is hard, looking to recognize Jesus’ presence, and confessing our need for him in our weakness? This leads us to stand with the psalmist who often praises God even though he or she is suffering, seeking God’s help while living in a spirit of gratitude and trust in God and Jesus. This is not always easy, but we keep our eyes and hearts God focused, keeping our lives focused on Jesus, seeking out companions on the road through life who will support us in the hard times by pointing us to Jesus, but who also count on us to do the same in return. The church Jesus is writing to is called Philadelphia, brotherly love. This is the kind of love that drives us to share Jesus with others, offering them the invitation Jesus offers all of us to come to him when we are weak and heavy laden, when we are weak and tired and he will give us rest. This love invites us to enter the door Jesus keeps open to the kingdom of heaven.

Hold onto Jesus; he has written on us the name of God and his own name, claiming us as his own. Keep Jesus’ word, follow his way and confess his name wherever God places you this week and may you experience his strength and hope.