Revelation 2:12 – “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:
13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.
14 “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15 In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. 16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.” (NLT)
In today’s passage, Jesus sends a message to the church in Pergamum, which was the Roman capital in Asia Minor at that time. As with all Roman cities of that era, there were various temples dedicated to various gods. There was one type of worship, however, for which Pergamum was noted – Caesar worship. In an effort to bring national solidarity to the empire, Caesar allowed the people to worship whatever they liked, as long as they also worshipped Caesar. This is what Jesus calls ‘Satan’s throne’ in verse thirteen.
In verse twelve we are told that Jesus has a sharp two-edged sword. This refers to the Word of God that Jesus brings. The Word of God has the power to bring healing for those who heed its teaching but is also has the power to condemn for those who reject it.
In verses fourteen and fifteen, Jesus shares his complaints’ against the church. Some were holding onto to sexual sin, and to eating what was offered to idols. Balaam was associated with magic. Magic was a big part of religious experiences in that part of the world. As to the eating meat offered to an idol, this can be a troubling passage in light of Paul’s teaching on this subject. Basically, Paul said that there was nothing wrong with the meat, but not to eat it if it caused another to stumble. The problem in Pergamum was that some people refused to worship Caesar, but they would buy the meat that had been offered to Caesar during worship. They did this in an effort to satisfy the Roman officials. The problem was not the meat itself, but rather their motivation for eating the meat. Eating the meat offered to Caesar was a compromise.
The lesson for us here is that compromising our religious convictions is always wrong. If we say that Jesus is Lord, then Jesus must be Lord of all of our life, not just certain parts of life. There are many behaviors that are accepted within our society, just as eating meat offered to Cesar was accepted in Pergamum. Being socially acceptable does not make something right. We cannot bow down to Jesus on Sunday and then bow down to other accepted behaviors during the week.
Today, let us hold fast to the teachings of God’s Word. Let us strive not to compromise. Let Jesus be the Lord of All of Life!
Posted by Ramón Torres
Amen.
Many idols can be appealing, so to speak, during moments of each day like dangling carrots. My obeyance is to repent, and to submit to Him to be THE LORD of my life. Holy Spirit keep this on my mind.
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