Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
In his letter to the pastor and people in the church at Thyatira, Jesus describes himself as, “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire.” (Revelation 2:18)
It’s a strange way to start a letter. You need to know who’s writing to you, Thyatira. He’s the one with blazing eyes.
However odd that sounds, it was what they needed to hear. Sometimes the Lord’s people conveniently forget things.
We’re pretty good at remembering the comforting, kind things he has done. We sing songs about that stuff. He is meek and lowly of heart. He has done literally everything to save us from ourselves, and from sin. His gracious promises toward us are amazing. The Good Shepherd deals gently with the lambs.
And, oh, by the way, his eyes are like a flame of fire. That seems to fit in with all the rest like a coyote visiting the First United Church of Roadrunners.
Years ago, sociologists coined a phrase to describe the de facto religious perspective of the average person. Regardless of their confessed faith, most Americans really belong in the category of those who believe in “therapeutic moral deism.”
The therapeutic moral deist wants God to be there when he is needed. When we get in a bind, we want him to hear our complaints. We want him awake and on the job, working to protect us.
As long as we remain basically “good people” then he is cool with us, and us with him. However, when we start messing with stuff we know we shouldn’t, we can rest easy knowing God has more important things to be watching.
When we want God to be close, he is close. When we want him to leave us alone, he does. The creator is thus reduced to the role of “heavenly bellhop.”
The eyes of Christ are blazing, though.
Fire in Scripture is a rich symbol. Fire gives light, which is a metaphor for truth and life. Fire has a cleansing, purifying function. Fire illustrates God’s holiness, his perfect hatred of sin. The Lord’s judgment upon wickedness is fiery.
The Son of God has eyes like flaming fire. This is intended as a shorthand way of saying, “Don’t fool yourself. All that stuff you hoped he wasn’t watching, well, he was.” We stand naked in his sight, as at our birth.
The church at Thyatira gets called out for a sin that most of us wouldn’t spot. Basically, they tolerated what they knew God despised. They were too nice. “Over-niceness” is easy to overlook. But Jesus has those eyes.
Even our inward motivations and thoughts are open to his gaze. I’ll go first here and admit that’s a terrifying thought. Our natural reaction is to try to take those things and bury them even deeper. Maybe then we’ll be safe.
Since he sees it all anyway, though, the only solution is for us to be open and honest about it. Seek his gentle forgiveness and cleansing. Let that holy fire do its job and get rid of whatever he doesn’t want to see in us. The fiery eyes are still eyes of mercy.
Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at: