The Appeal

In the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verses 14-22 is a letter written to the assembly at Laodicea. Laodicea was situated at the merging of three major roadways. The city grew into a highly successful commercial and financial center. It was a city of wealth.

In verse 14, our Lord presents Himself as the author of this letter. Verses 15-17 is the admonition to this assembly. Their estimation of themselves in verse 17 is declared untrue by the Faithful and True Witness. This church assembly had boasted of her material riches and resources but never gave one word of praise for our Lord. In verse 17, they said they were rich and had need of nothing. All the while, the Lord saw them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

In verses 18-20, the Lord appeals to this church assembly of Laodicea. “I counsel thee to buy of me, gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Our Lord is using language that is relevant to this assembly. These people were used to merchandising. They gained wealth by buying and selling with the merchants of the far East. Their riches were the gold of this material world. The Lord is introducing them to a new concept of riches and how to acquire it.

“Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1) In verse 18, the Lord says the best clothing of the world could never cover the moral nakedness of man. God himself is the only one who can clothe man’s moral nakedness with the white clean linen of His righteousness. Then the Lord says,” Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”

The Laodiceans could well afford to travel the known world of their day and see the wonders of the time. But only the Lord could open their eyes to perceive the spiritual world they had never seen. The natural man with all the riches of earthly knowledge and resources can never see the world of God. It is the anointing power of the eyesalve (Holy Spirit) that can open our spiritual eyes to see the world of God. Just like the Laodiceans, we too are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. The Lord is counseling us as He did the Laodiceans in His appeal.