Lenten Reflection: Even Though You Are Rich

The following is the third in a series of reflections on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation.

For more reflections on these letters, check out the hub page for the series.

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.

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Even Though You Are Rich

A Reflection on the Letter to the Church in Smyrna

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life:

I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich.  I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  Do not fear what you are about to suffer.  Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction.  Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.  Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.

Revelation 2:8-11 (NRSV)

Cure your children's warring madness

Bend our pride to your control

Shame our wanton, selfish gladness

Rich in things and poor in soul

From "God of Grace and God of Glory" by Harry Emerson Fosdick

Christ, in His letter to the Christians in Smyrna, acknowledges their poverty, and He recognizes that they have been the subject of slander by a group He calls a "synagogue of Satan."  Before I continue, I want to acknowledge that some of the language in this letter has probably been used in antisemitic ways in the past.  Remember that many of the early Christians were also Jews.  This letter reflects, in N.T. Wright's words, "a struggle within Judaism, not against Judaism."¹

Note that one meaning of the Hebrew word satan is "accuser."  At the beginning of the Book of Job, when the heavenly beings present themselves to God, someone identified as Satan arrives and lobs accusations against the titular character.²  Wright suggests that there was a religious group in Smyrna that similarly lobbed accusations against the Christians in Smyrna.  He writes, "Perhaps it was accusations like that, with social and political consequences, that had given Smyrna's Christians a taste of poverty in an otherwise rich city."³

Though Christ acknowledges the poverty of the Christians in Smyrna, He tells them that they are actually rich.  He warns them that they will soon face persecution, but He promises a crown of life to those who remain faithful in the midst of it.

The letter to the Church in Smyrna is a letter about courage and perseverance.  That said, I think it is also an invitation to rethink what it means to be rich.

When I was a child, one of my favorite television shows was Fraggle Rock.  Truth be told, I'm still rather fond of it.  The show was created by renowned puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets.  Fraggles were essentially Muppets who lived in underground caves.

On one early episode,⁴ two of the Fraggles - Gobo and Red - find a treasure map that leads to the Ancient Treasure of the Fraggles.  At first, they believe that the treasure is one million diamonds, and they are initially hesitant to tell anyone about the map, because they know that, if they tell more Fraggles, they will have to divide the treasure with them.  Eventually, they realize that they will need help finding the treasure, as it is hidden in a dangerous place, so they tell their three best friends and agree to split the treasure five ways.

During the night, the Fraggles find the treasure and bring it back to their home.  Gobo says to his friends, "In a minute, we may all be rich," and he proceeds to open the treasure chest.  Inside the chest, the Fraggles see a sparkling gold cylinder.  The cylinder starts turning, and the chest starts playing music.  The treasure chest is actually a music box, and the Ancient Treasure of the Fraggles is actually a song.  The Fraggles realize that they have to share this treasure with everyone, so they take the music box to the Great Hall.  The other Fraggles in Fraggle Rock awaken, gather in the Great Hall, and begin singing along to the music box.

Gobo and Red look around them at all the Fraggles who have gathered around the treasure they found, and Red says, "You're right, Gobo.  We are rich."

Gobo and Red thought that the treasure they were seeking would be something they would not want to share, but the treasure they found turned out to be something they could not keep to themselves.  Furthermore, they started to realize that they were rich even before they found the treasure.

Jesus begins His sermon on the mount with an announcement of blessing upon the people He calls "poor in spirit," saying that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.⁵  Later on, in the same sermon, He encourages us not to collect "treasures on earth," which don't last forever, but to instead collect "treasures in heaven," which cannot be taken from us.⁶  Some people believe that Jesus is saying that the good things we do in this life will be transformed into literal riches in the next.  I believe that Jesus might be saying something else.  Jesus teaches us to pray that God's kingdom comes to the earth and that God's will is done on earth as in heaven.⁷  One way we can prepare for God's will to be done on earth as in heaven is to start treasuring in our hearts what is valued in heaven.

Paul writes to one church about having "treasure in clay jars."⁸  The treasure of which he speaks is the message of hope we call the Gospel, and the clay jars are the ordinary, imperfect, lackluster lives through which we embody and share the Gospel message.  In other letters, Paul writes about the spiritual gifts that enable us to work together as the Body of Christ,⁹ which are simultaneously gifts God gives to us and gifts God gives through us.  These are treasures we are not meant to keep to ourselves.

Personally, I tend to feel poor when I compare my life to the lives of others, but, when I consider that I have gifts to share with people, I realize that I am indeed rich.

Having a lot of money and possessions does not make us wealthy, and not having a lot of money and possessions does not make us poor.  During this Lenten season, may we reconsider what it means to be rich, and may we learn to treasure what is truly important.  May we never forget, amid life's struggles, how richly God has blessed us.

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Questions for reflection:

• What does it really mean to be rich?
• In what ways do you think of yourself as poor?
• Why might Christ call you rich?

Notes:

1. N.T. Wright.  Revelation for Everyone.  2011, Westminster John Knox Press.  p. 16
2. Job 1:6-11
3. Wright, p. 17
4. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0778237/?ref_=ttep_ep9
5. Matthew 5:3
6. Matthew 6:19-20
7. Matthew 6:10
8. 2 Corinthians 4:7
9. Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 27-30

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