Chapter # 3 Paragraph # 3 Study # 2
November 26, 2023
Broadlands, Louisiana
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Thesis: To be lukewarm means that the person is without understanding in regard to both Jesus and the "Life" He promised.
Introduction: In our last study we saw the way Jesus characterized Himself in His letter to the messenger of the church in Laodicea. The focus of that self-characterization was upon the unyielding reality of Truth and Love. Jesus, as the Amen, is the actual representation of what is "true" in this creation; as the messenger of that "Truth", He is both in factual correspondence to the truth and the declaration of the message; and, as the "Arche" of the Creation, there is nothing more important to man's ultimate well-being than Him.
- I. The Letter To The Angel Of The Church In Laodicea.
- A. Jesus' Self-description.
- 1. "The Amen".
- 2. "The Faithful and True Witness".
- 3. "The "arche" of the creation of the God".
- B. Jesus' Statement of His Displeasure.
- 1. "I know your works..."
- a. These "works" are "ta erga"; energy consuming activities.
- b. As "energy consumers", they are the actions which this "angel" is habitually undertaking.
- c. "...that you are neither cold nor hot..."
- 1) The word translated "cold" is used only in Matthew 10:42 and Revelation 3:15-16.
- a) In the Matthean passage, it refers to water that is particularly satisfying because it is cold/cool (just recovered from the well?).
- b) In the context of Revelation 3:15-16 it is used in contrast to "cliaros" which is defined in this text as "tepid" (not hot, not cold).
- 2) The word translated "hot" is used only in Revelation 3:15-16.
- a) It is derived from "zeo", a word only used in Acts 18:25 and Romans 12:11 where, in both cases, it is a characterization of a person who is "boiling" in the realm of the "spirit" in regard to "diligence in serving the Lord".
- i. The illustration is in Acts 18:25.
- ii. The mandate is in Romans 12:11.
- b) The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains says the word is "often associated with boiling" and has multiple language associations with sex or anger (i.e., singularly focused upon a current pursuit of some objective).
- 3) The point Jesus is deploring is the absence of "strong commitment".
- a) The man is doing the works.
- b) But the way he is doing them reveals a lackadaisical attitude that indicates that he doesn't really care whether the works are accomplishing anything, or, even, whether they are being pursued properly.
- 2. "I wish that you were cold or hot..."
- a. The word translated "I wish" is only found in four texts of the New Testament and is said to mean (by the same lexicon reference above) "that which ought to be if one only had one's wish".
- b. The roots of this word are found in "opheilo", which signals a "debt" -- something owed, but not [yet] paid.
- c. This text actually says that Jesus would rather have a determined opponent than a lackadaisical servant.
- 3. "So, because you are lukewarm...I will spew you out of my mouth".
- a. The concept of "lukewarm" is one of no particular commitment to the achievement of "Truth".
- b. This is a very graphic metaphor.
- c. But, what does it mean? The use of this term is singular, only found here in the New Testament.
- 1) Some have taken it to mean "vomit", but that term in our language implies something swallowed that then is violently vomited.
- 2) The picture is more like a person who has taken something into his/her mouth and immediately spewed it out as seriously unacceptable to the taste.
- 3) Clearly, the minimal meaning is that "I won't have you in my mouth in this condition".
- a) This raises the issue of The Revelation's use of the "mouth".
- b) In this book, the "mouth" is used to indicate one's decided behavior as a representation of his determined pursuits.
- i. 1:16 is the first reference to a "mouth" and it pictures a deadly weapon (and this is reinforced in 19:15 as the weapon by which Jesus will subdue all opposition). The foremost image is that of "words" of destruction coming out of the mouth (a concept also reinforced by 11:5 where "fire" comes out of the mouth of the two witnesses of God to destroy any who would harm them).
- ii. In both 13:5-6 and 14:5 the issue is the "words" that come out of a mouth that make the character known.
- c) Thus, at a minimum, Jesus is saying that He will not accept a lukewarm representative of Himself. This means He will not allow the "works" of the lukewarm to be effective in the accomplishment of His objectives. By way of illustration, there were, in Malachi 1:6 and following, certain priests who reflected this attitude.
