The First and the Last

2007-1-5 05:43:00

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; (Revelation 2:8)

JJ: As noted earlier, Smyrna is derived from the Greek SMURNA, which is the herb, myrrh.

Just as the voice of Christ identified himself as the first and the last, myrrh made its appearance in the first and last part of the life of Jesus.

The Magi, at the first, brought it to the baby Jesus as one of their gifts, and at the last, at his burial he was given it again. It is written:

And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. (John 19:39-40)

Myrrh is an antiseptic and was used for embalming, and an ingredient of oil used for anointing. It is also a spice used to enhance the taste of wine and other foods. Overall, it was quite costly in that day and often reserved for use by royalty and people of importance. To use a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloe in his burial was an acknowledgement of the kingly nature of Jesus.

The voice says he "was dead, and is alive." Smyrna also corresponds to this. The city was destroyed (died) around 700 BC and for 400 years it seemed to be gone forever. Then Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great's generals, rebuilt Smyrna as a new Hellenistic city and it grew in population to around 100,000 people in the days of John.

It was rebuilt as one of the few planned cities in the ancient world as well as one of the most beautiful. Indeed, it died and was resurrected with much more beauty than it had before.

So how does this apply to the life of the aspiring disciple?

Through Ephesus he discovered the path and the freedom it gives, and for a time misused that freedom. He moved back to his Christ center, focused and moved to the second stage represented by Smyrna. Here, for a time, he is focused solidly in the light, for the voice of the Master gives no rebuke or correction here, but only advice and encouragement to move forward.

The reason the seeker does not go off the path in this state is because he has one of the names of God "written in his forehead" (See Revelation 14:1). That name is "the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive."

He felt the presence at the first, but drifted away in the middle of the Ephesus stage. Then, at the last, when he came back he discovered that the presence was always there. It was he who moved away, not the Christ within. The Christ is with us at the first and then, after we finish playing the prodigal son, he is there at the last. If the seeker ever thinks that God has deserted him, he is deceived. To stay upon the path he must acquire the faith that God is always available the first time he is sought and the last.

There is a difference between the first and last contact. Even though the first is real it also seems temporary, for the seeker cannot focus consistently enough to establish a permanent link. The last contact is different because when it is made, the seeker solidly treads the path of discipleship and commits himself to never again drift away from the voice. This is the last time he will reestablish contact for this time the link will not be severed.

The seeker by no means obtains perfection in the Smyrna stage, but he does come to the realization that he must never again leave the voice. Correctly applying the inner voice and becoming one with it are still in the future, but a giant step is taken when the importance of inner listening sinks deep within his heart and mind.

We live in a world where lemonade is made from artificial flavoring and furniture polish is made from real lemons.
Alfred E. Neuman, MAD magazine