I admit that I have been engaging in some self-pity lately. Life has been overwhelming. I’ve yet to find the book I can read that tells me step by step instructions regarding caring for aging parents.
After raising children of my own, finding myself in the position of parenting a parent is a role I would like to reject. But scripture tells me to “honor my father and mother, this is the first commandment with a promise so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.” Ephesians 6:2-3 CSB As I study the letter to the Church at Smyrna, I gain some insight into how caring for my parents should look and why this commandment contains a deep, abiding promise.
Background on the Church at Smyrna
Smyrna was located about 40 miles north of Ephesus. Being on the Aegean Sea, Smyrna operated as a major port for the Roman Empire. One of Smyrna’s major exports was myrrh - the stuff used to preserve mummies - and literally in the title of the town. Maybe the abundance of myrrh created the culture surrounding death that existed within the community. Historic documents list numerous cults that operated in Smyrna, and a great many of them revolved around death and the afterlife.
Smyrna also professed fierce loyalty to the Roman Empire. The citizens actively engaged in Caesar worship and demanded allegiance to Rome. A large population of Jews operated in the city; however, they were extremely exclusionary. They did not allow Gentiles into their congregation even if they professed belief in the One True God. For a Christian believer, doing business in Smyrna would have been extremely difficult if not impossible. Due to their lack of allegiance to Rome but rather Christ, a believer would have been relegated to the fringes of the city and heavily persecuted. Did any of the Christians in this community ever feel sorry for themselves and their chosen lot in life?
So here is the thing about self-pity. When the mire of your mind reaches “woe is me” status, existing in that head space is extremely lonely and isolating. No one can possibly understand what you are going through, right? You think you should be in control and work out a solution to your situation. This is when Satan pulls a bus right up to your mental front door and beckons you to hop on board. You may think you are driving that self-pity bus, but the devil has a way of sending you straight to the back as he floors the gas, doesn’t stop at railroad crossings, and eventually gets you to the destination of despair.
What a risk an individual took to be a Christian in Smyrna! They literally functioned last in the social order of the community. They were beaten and abused for their faith. A famous first century Christian disciple of John, Polycarp, was martyred there. So how does Jesus greet the church of Smyrna? “This is the message from the one who is the First and Last, who was dead but is now alive.” Revelation 2:8
Jesus affirms their suffering. He does not try to sugar coat their dangerous position. He understands their crippling circumstances, yet he calls them rich! It is one thing to know you have riches in heaven, but how does that knowledge provide comfort when you are physically or mentally in danger on this earth?
Jesus exhorts the believers of Smyrna to “not be afraid of what you are about to suffer,” including imprisonment, hardship, and even death. Revelation 2:10 CSB. But who created the suffering according to verse 10 - the devil. Satan placed the hatred and abuse in the hearts of the citizens of Smyrna against God’s people. But how were the believers strengthened to not hop on the pity bus and bemoan their persecution?
Jesus did not have one thing negative to say to the Church at Smyrna. He understood the circumstances threatening to consume them both literally and figuratively. So how did he encourage them? How did He build them up to endure the hardships they faced?
First, Jesus offered them a crown of life. The crown held special significance in the community. Members of the ruling elite as well as the merchant class wore crowns daily to visually demonstrate their status in the city. By promising the crown of life, Jesus reminded the believers of their heavenly goal - not their earthly circumstances. The crown represented the perfect symbol of reassurance to these persecuted believers. Where is God offering reassurance to you today?
Second, Jesus asked them to listen to the Spirit and understand. When the voice of self-pity turns into actual mental torment, evil attacks you. Remember that we do not fight just a regular enemy - we wage spiritual warfare. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” Ephesians 6:12 CSB Evil was alive and real then. Evil is alive and real now. Ask Jesus to help you listen and understand the Holy Spirit in your day to day life and avoid dwelling on life's difficulties.
Lastly, Jesus promised the believers at Smyrna victory. They would not be harmed by the second death. In other words, though a physical man/woman may harm or even kill a believer on this earth, their soul will rise victorious when Jesus comes again. But a believer must be constantly on his/her guard and listening for the Spirit of God. How can you claim victory in your life today?
In America, we really do not face any physical harm to our person from our belief in Christ - yet. But one of Satan’s favorite ways to throw us off God’s track is through our own self - pity. We get so twisted up in our inner turmoil that we forget the first love of our Father, and we cease to be able to look outside ourselves to the needs of others.
I challenge you the next time you are feeling overwhelmed and want to hop on Satan’s pity party, research exactly what kinds of hardships the early Christians endured. Research what other believers are currently experiencing in areas of the world that are hostile to the Gospel of Christ. This research will not lessen the hardships you are currently undergoing, but the reassurances apply to you just as they applied to the believers at Smyrna.
So do I still need that step by step parenting your parent book? Turns out I have a pretty awesome source for help and inspiration in the Word of God. So why is honoring parents the commandment with a promise? Look at Ephesians 6:1-3 again. Verse 3 states that if you honor your parents, all may go well with you and you may have a long life in the land. Over and over the Bible promises that the faithfulness of the believer passes on to future generations. The Christians of Smyrna followed because they really understood what it meant to be rich in Christ. They captured the promise of everlasting life and established that blessings for generations to come. This blessing is ours to claim too! Thanks be to God!
Here is a song that helped inspire this lesson from TheClassroomCounts . Hope you enjoy!
Sparrows by Cory Asbury
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