Pleasing Aroma
“Be faithful until death, and I
will give you the crown of life.” Rev. 2:10
Smyrna was a
large and ancient city which became part of the Greek Ionian confederacy in the
times before Christ, and later under Roman control, was known as a city of
great wealth and commerce. It is
considered by historians that Polycarp was bishop of this church, who was
martyred for his beliefs around 168 AD.
In the midst of this prosperous city stood a church, referred to by our
Lord as poor (yet rich).
The word Smyrna
means literally “myrrh.” We recognize
myrrh as one of the spices brought by the wise men to the infant Jesus (Mt.
2:11), as well as an ingredient in the anointing oil used by the priests,
according to Ex. 30:23. Further, it was
used as a perfume, was offered to Christ on the cross, and was used for
embalming purposes. Myrrh is a fragrant
gum and when crushed, releases a beautiful aroma. This was exactly the way the Lord viewed the
church at Smyrna – persecuted and crushed through suffering, yet releasing a
sweet aroma unto God. This presents an
interesting way to adopt a Christlike view of suffering and persecution when
presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ:
such suffering releases a beautiful fragrance to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment