ANOINTED EYES

ANOINTED EYES

"I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." (Rev 3:18)

IN A GLORIFIED STATE, after He had been exalted to "the right hand of the majesty on high" (Heb 1:3), Jesus had something to say to the churches. After men had believed the Gospel, been baptized into Christ, and been added to His church, Jesus had something to say to them. While on the Isle of Patmos, in a state of tribulation and exile, Jesus spoke to John on the Lord's Day. He did not speak about John's circumstances, or deliver him a message of his soon deliverance from the oppressive Island. Instead, He gave John a message for "the churches which are in Asia." He was in their midst, holding their messengers in His hand.

HE WAS ALSO ASSESSING THEM, critiquing, as it were, their status and progress in the faith. This is part of His glorified activity – assessing His churches, counseling them, and seeking to have them correct their flaws. Many professed believers appear completely oblivious to this condition. They conduct their affairs as though Jesus was not even looking at them, let alone evaluating them. Others assume that grace makes no allowance for Divine evaluation. They imagine churches remain in Christ's favor just because of their name, or their theological persuasion.

IN OUR TEXT, JESUS IS EVALUATING THE CHURCH in Laodicea. It is the only church in the Bible about which not one good thing was said. They were spiritually tepid, being neither hot nor cold. In fact, they were nauseating to Jesus, and He was about to vomit them out, or "spew them out" of His mouth. They had come to the point where the Son of God, full of grace and truth, could no longer tolerate them.

JESUS TELLS THEM WHY they have ill-effected Him. First, He gave them a summation of their assessment of themselves: "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." They no longer required anything from the Lord, and thus did not seek it. They could conduct their business without the Head of the church or the Savior of the body. They did not need Divine power, grace, or direction. It appears to me that this spirit dominates much of the religious community. There does not seem to be a dependence upon the Lord, or a quest for the benefits that are found in Him.

IF A MODERN CHURCHMAN HAD SEEN THE CHURCH in Laodicea, he would not have seen it as Jesus did. He might have witnessed a successful religious organization with various community involvements. They probably had an impressive facility and highly credentialed staff – perhaps even a large missionary budget. But all of that can be done without Jesus, without the Spirit, and without the grace of God. Such things are not wrong of themselves, but they are never to be the means of assessing a body of believers, or determining their acceptance by the Son of God.

JESUS HAD NOT GIVEN UP ON THIS CHURCH, as miserable as it was. He had what they needed, but they would have to "buy" it from Him. They would have to forfeit something to gain what they really needed. Among the things they sorely needed were genuine wealth – "gold tried in the fire;" appropriate attire for the soul – "white raiment;" and something promoting spiritual vision – "eye salve." These things were required because, contrary to their own opinion, they were "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." The resources they could "buy" from Jesus would resolve these totally unacceptable conditions.

I WANT TO FOCUS ON A SPIRITUAL STATE that is very common in our time: spiritual blindness. One of the telling marks of this generation is its ignorance of the things of God. Scriptural illiteracy is at an astounding level, to say nothing of the depravity of "spiritual understanding" (Col 1:9). It is not unusual to encounter whole congregations who have very little understanding of God, Christ, salvation, the grace of God, justification, sanctification, the coming of the Lord, or other pivotal matters. Countless preachers are professed experts in the family, administration, organizing churches, marriage, or some other mundane area. Yet, they are abysmally ignorant of the "salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Tim 2:10). This is confirmed in their preaching, their writing, and the people who embrace what they say.

WHAT IS THE LORD'S ASSESSMENT of such a condition? They are "blind." The condition is inexcusable because nothing about salvation makes for blindness. To be in Jesus and yet be blind necessitates the quenching and grieving of the Spirit, a hard heart, and a love for the world. Spiritual blindness, or a lack of spiritual understanding, is not an accident, and it will not be overlooked by the Lord of glory.

THE NEED IS FOR EYES TO BE ANOINTED with the eye salve Jesus alone possesses. Jesus Himself does not anoint the eyes of these blind. The people must "buy" the "eye salve" from Him, and anoint their own eyes with it. This eye salve has to do with the Gospel of Christ, which is God's "power unto salvation." When the eyes of our understanding are anointed with the Gospel, everything becomes plain. Blind people have somehow forgotten the Gospel. That is why blindness has settled upon them. The word to them: buy and anoint!

– Given O. Blakely