A Revelation Invitation

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: …
“‘I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.’” (Revelation 3:14a,18 ESV)

My wife and I were waiting for our meal at an open air restaurant in Guatemala when a small girl approached us from the street with a basket of trinkets. We speak no Spanish; she spoke no English. But we knew what she was asking. My wife picked out a headband for our granddaughter and paid her. No sooner had she paid than the child’s grandmother stepped forward desperately offering to sell us other knickknacks. Whenever we walked the streets of this town, we were accosted by forlorn people begging us to buy their wares. Their desperate pleading was evidence that they were not blind to their poverty.

Not so the Laodiceans. They suffered from a poverty which they didn’t see, a poverty so severe that Jesus called them wretched and pitiable. With a bit of irony Jesus counsels the impoverished Laodicean church to buy from him what they lacked. How can a poor person buy what is invaluable? In Isaiah 55:1 the Lord counsels:

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.” (ESV)

Buy without money? We can do that only if the price has already been paid by another. Recognizing how wretched and pitiable we are, we come to the one who can supply what we lack. Jesus Christ has already paid the price and will provide.

We who live in the West are generally wealthy by any historical standard whether we realize it or not. But our wealth will do us know good when we stand before God. We also benefit from the best health care in history. Yet, we may still stumble through life blindly. We are comfortably and fashionably clothed and may not realize that we are naked before God. His gracious offer to cloth our nakedness comes to us from a patient and merciful Savior.

Lord Jesus, please open my eyes to my condition. Help me see myself as you see me. I do not want to be deceived by the wealth and comforts due to my fortunate circumstances of birth. The gold you offer is greater than all the wealth I possess. The salve you administer will help me see what I have not seen. You also clothe my shameful nakedness. You have done all of this without cost to me. Thank you for paying the price. Amen.