Christ’s Valuable Possession
““To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” (Rev. 2:1)
Over the last week, this one passage has been the very balm of Gilead to my own soul. Though I cannot pen all of my thoughts into this one article, let me at least dip my finger in the water and point out two refreshing truths in this passage.
One, Jesus walks among the golden lampstands. As we know, these lampstands represent the church (Rev. 1:20), but what is interesting is Jesus’ relationship to those lampstands. He doesn’t stand aloof nor aloft from the lampstands. No, He stands right in their midst. He walks amongst the lampstand as He promised in Leviticus 26:12 - “And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” As Hebrews 2:11 states: “He is not ashamed to call us brothers.” This is a truth too wonderful for words. Our flame flickers, our oil runs low, our lamp shades are covered in filth and soot, and yet He stands in our midst. He has every reason to leave us, but as Isaiah 42:3 tells us, “A faintly burning wick He will not quench.” He cups His mighty hands around us, not allowing the winds of sorrow nor the huffs and buffs of Satan to snuff us out. Are your spirits burning low? Has affliction almost snuffed you out? Has guilt and grime dirtied your life? Then call out to Christ, for He walks among the lamp stands.
Two, what makes the lampstands so valuable to Christ? If you read Revelation 1-3, then you will see how little the world values them. Their names are slandered, and their lives are tossed upon the trash heap of history. Yet Christ deems us as infinitely valuable. Why? He deems us valuable because of the electing love of the Father. As He prays in John 17:6 - “Yours they were, and you gave them to me.” These lampstands display the riches of His grace, freely chosen and loved before the foundation of the world. We look at the world and are lost in its splendor; but for God, He created this world that He may display His love to His people. Alongside this, He deems us valuable because we were purchased by His blood (Acts 20:28; Titus 2:14). All the world’s silver and gold cannot compare to the infinitely valuable blood of Christ, for only it has the value to pay sin’s infinite debt and secure for us an eternal inheritance. Lastly, these lampstands are His inheritance, the reward given to Him by His Father for His suffering and death (Ps. 2:6-8; Is. 53:10-12).
Oh, believer. You look around at your church and see all sorts of blots and blemishes. We hold grudges for no reason, we harbor enmity with no regard. Have we forgotten that these are Christ’s lampstands? Of all the places to be, He chooses to walk among them. What of you? Do you love His church like He does? Is she your joy? Do you enter her doors with expectations and fall upon her members with love and thankfulness? Do you stand aloof from them, or do you walk in their midst?
