Sardis: The Arrogant Church

Historical Context

• Sardis was a fortress city, 30 miles south of Thyatira, and was believed to be impenetrable for most of ancient history
  • Was the military staging point for king Artaxerxes invasion of Greece and Alexander the Great’s invasion of Asia
• Former capital of the Lydian empire with its peak during King Croesus (kree-sus)
  • King Croesus is considered one of the top 15 wealthiest figures in all of history
    • He was the first to figure out how to stabilize coinage by separating gold from silver
  • Aesop’s, author of Aesops fables, was the messenger of King Croesus
    • Fable of King Midas was associated to Croesus
• Sardis, during King Croesus was the wealthiest city on earth, and also the most secure
• City had two famous failures: when twice (a Persian soldier and Cretan soldier) walked the narrow entrance path, scaled the wall, and opened the gates
  • King Cyrus conquered due to the complacency of the guards
  • Antiochus III conquered due to complacency of the guards

*Arrogance and Complacency conquered an impenetrable fortress twice

Religious Context

• Surprisingly, they have found only two places of worship in Sardis: temple to Artemis (as was in every city in the region), and the largest synagogue in all of Asia Minor
  • At the time King Cyrus of Persia (Book of Daniel) conquers Israel, he also was warring with king Croesus, and once he conquered the city, it became a destination point for many Jews- (Mentioned in Obadiah 1:20- “Sepharad was the ancient name of Sardis”)
• There was probably a place for emperor worship as well, although never been found

*The unique worship, since the time of king Croesus, was primarily centered on the oracle of Delphi

• Both times Sardis fell, it was through oracle of delphi’s “revelation”

Revelation Context

• Remember the context of the “Sibylline Oracles”?
  • Sambethe and the sybl/prophetess who would interpret and collect “revelations” from Persia, Greek, Egypt, and Hebrew
  • Oracle of Delphi i.e. “Revelation of Delphi” has strong ties to Asia minor, but also Apollo
    • Originally called “Pythia”, the oracle was the center of Greek religion because Delphi was thought to be the center of the world
    • Temple in Delphi was built on top of where they believed Apollo slayed Python-See Revelation 12
    • The oracle, once a month, would go inhale the sulfuric gases “rotting flesh of Python” to give revelations i.e. hallucinate

*Pythian games, second only to the Olympic games, also plays a contextual role in Revelation

*The major thing about these oracles, both the sybl of Sambethe or oracle of Delphi, is that they were living oracles, or revelations, so at its core, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” or the “Oracle of Jesus Christ”-Revelation 1:1

• Apollo is a huge context for understanding revelation
  • Apolllo was the Greek god of revelation
• Earthquake destroyed the city in 17 AD. Rome gave a lot of money to rebuild, to include excluding them from taxes for five years, however, they never really recovered
  • By the time Revelation is written, Sardis lived off the reputation of the past, there motto would have been “We were great”

Three Characteristics of this City

1. Arrogance
2. Complacency
3. Living off reputation only

“To the angel^[a] of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits^[b] of God and the seven stars.

• Seven Spirits
  • As apollo was the god of revelations/oracles, seven was also his number
  • On the 7^th day of every month, the oracle of delphi would enter the temple to provide revelation
  • There were seven “spirit personifications in Greek mythology
    • Emotions and state of mind
    • Human condition
    • Qualities
    • Morality
    • Voice
    • Actions
    • Society
• The “stars” is the angel or “messengers”
  • Greek mythology had “stars” as gods, and further, “messengers from god” were sybls/prophets/prophetess i.e. “oracles”
    • In one sense, Jesus is saying that the leaders over the church are equals in authority and power as the pagan “gods”
    • In another sense, as “messengers,” Jesus is telling His churches “Listen to my oracles, my messengers, not that of the pagans”

 I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

• Just as Sardis had a reputation of being wealthy, secure, and great, it no longer was great. Similarly, the church in Sardis had a reputation of being a great church, but it was no longer great.

 ² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 

• Strengthen what remains
  • Just as the walls from the earthquake of 17AD were not rebuilt, and what did remain needed strengthening, here Jesus is saying your faith is like the crumbled walls of a once great faith, so strengthen what walls remain

*Sardis was a church living off of reputation and tradition. But that tradition was going to kill them if they didn’t change

• “Found your deeds unfinished”
  • The Greek literally means “something started but not completed”
  • This church started off strong, but never grew beyond the start. They never matured and lived off the reputation, memories, and experiences of the past

³ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

• If your going to remember something, remember the gospel you received and heard so you can be great again
• “Come like a thief”
  • Just as a Persian and Cretan soldier came in the middle of the night and stole the city, Jesus says if you remain complacent in your faith HE WILL COME like a thief

⁴ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. ⁶ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

• “Yet, you have a few”
  • God is fair. There is no faith by association, both positively, but negatively
  • Just as Abraham asked God not to destroy Sodom if there were 10 righteous people, God said he would spare them
• White, universally is a symbol of purity, but this may allude to more
  • The oracle of delphi, had to be a pure woman, over 50, with great reputation to be in that position. Here, Jesus may be saying that for those who are faithful, they will be the real oracles of the divine, true access
• Book of Life
  • Some ancient cities, but especially those like Sardis in its glory days would keep a “book of the city.” Part of what made them secure, was not only its strategic position but how it controlled immigration into the city. To have your name in the book meant access to the city

Four Commands

1. Wake Up!- Stop being complacent and half-hearted in your faith start taking it serious
2. Strengthen what remains– Don’t destroy the little you still have, but strengthen whats there to rebuild what is lost
3. Remember! Remember who, and to what purpose you were saved to
4. Repent– Rid of your arrogance, and humbly recognize you are not as great as you think you are

Outcome

• Melito of Sardis
  • Contemporary of Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and famous church historian Eusebius
  • Was Jewish by birth, and like Revelation, had mesh of Jewish and Greek religoin
  • Wrote an “Apology for Christianity” to Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Emperor killed in the movie “Gladiator”) arguing Christians have never been the problem
    • Marcus Aurelius was very harsh to Christians
  • Developed the first Old Testament canon for Christians (excluded Esther)
  • There was a huge controversy over Easter called the “Quartodeciman Controversy”
    • Melito, and Sardis, following Johanine theology, believed it should be celebrated on Passover
    • Laodicea, who began to celebrate it on First fruits (Sunday)

*Melito resolved the controversy by stating that unity in honoring Christ mattered more than the day you honor Christ. He further stated, that tradition almost destroyed his church once. Simply, Sardis REPENTED!!!