Revelation 2:1-7 / The Church of Ephesus
Abandoned Love
by Leo Diaz
Read Revelation 2:1-7
Recently, my youngest daughter and I unboxed a jigsaw puzzle given to her for Christmas. It was of a European mountainscape, like the kind you only see in foreign films. After just a couple of minutes, we could already see the appearance of a pristine river carving through a foreground of rolling meadows. Connecting the pieces around the river was the easy part since each of those pieces had the image of glistening water. But as the river pieces ran out, we were left with a pile of assorted terrains and colors. It looked daunting to me. But when I looked over, I saw my daughter’s initial joy transform into stone-cold determination. She was locked in, eager for the challenge.
Most of us have an innate desire to figure things out. To crack the code. This desire is partly the reason why Revelation is so appealing to so many people. They see it as a prophetic puzzle that can predict the future as long as we’re able to fit the pieces together. But Revelation should not be reduced to merely a book about the future. It’s a book written to people in the past, people who belonged to seven churches in Asia Minor who were toiling with the challenges of living as non-violent dissidents in the Roman empire.
Revelation embodies the essence of resistance poetry—an art form used by many of the historically marginalized to critique those in power, often using the language and symbols of the oppressor, and to rally fellow dissidents to remain faithful to the resistance. Revelation chapters two and three detail the words of Jesus for these churches given to John in a vision. Each of these messages was framed after imperial edicts, mirroring the format of official decrees dispatched by the emperor to address the local issues of a city. The first of these churches to receive John’s apocalypse was Ephesus. Here are a few things that stand out about this particular edict to the Ephesian church.
Seven Stars and Seven Golden Lampstands
We know that Jesus was active and on the move within the seven churches (lampstands). But what did the image of Jesus holding seven stars mean to the diverse church in Ephesus? In 82 CE, emperor Domitian had coins minted with images of his deceased son Flavius Caesar sitting naked on a globe surrounded by seven stars with the Latin inscription “The Divine Caesar, Son of the emperor Domitian”. John’s vision replaces the image of Domitian’s son, a symbol of Rome’s economic and political dominance, with one of Jesus, gloriously dressed, holding seven stars. The message was clear, Jesus, not Domitian, was the sovereign King ruling over the cosmos. As for the Christians in Ephesus, this meant remaining steadfast as faithful witnesses and resisting the allure of Mother Rome and the goddess Artemis.
Love Abandoned
Though Ephesus earned praise for spotting false teachings and resisting the temptation to assimilate to Babylon, they were not without their flaws. Among them, perhaps the most significant flaw—they were loveless. They had let go of the solidarity they once had with one another. They toiled for the Kingdom, but it was without love. They had lost their first agape, the very thing that Jesus said would be the distinguishing marker of his disciples. The light of the menorah was growing dim and before long, the encroaching darkness of Babylon would overtake them. Yet, the presence of King Jesus remains, always pointing the way to the Tree of Life, the cross, a refuge for those starving for love.
Discussion Questions:
What do you think it means to “Abandon the love you had at first”?
Have you been in a relationship, church community, or other situation where you have continued to faithfully serve others, but no longer feel emotionally invested?
How can we actively nurture love in relationships or communities where we feel like our love has grown cold or become performative?
What are some of the ways you have spotted/discerned Babylon creep into your own life or relationships?
What does the idea of resisting the allure of the empire look like in your context?