The Emperor’s Thumb
“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Revelation 2:4
Against – It’s an up and down matter. Greek prepositions, like this one, almost always have a root meaning in some kind of physical space movement. Kata is no exception. The root meaning is movement downwards. For example, in 2 Corinthians we see it used to express the idea of poverty that reaches down to the depths.
The word in this verse in Revelation paints a strikingly real picture from the first century. In the “games” in the Roman Coliseum, life or death was determined by the up or down signal of the Emperor’s thumb. Turned down, the Emperor signaled his displeasure. He was against the victim. Many Christians died viewing the down-turned thumb.
Now Jesus says to the church at Ephesus, “My thumb is turned down toward you in this respect.” It was a chilling sign. No reader of John’s apocalyptic letter would have missed the implication.
What does the Lord of the church have to say about His assembly at Ephesus? If you read the previous few verses, you will see that they are commended for their deeds, their perseverance, their insistence on true doctrine and their commitment. We would probably be cheering over a church that displayed such characteristics. But Jesus says, “There is one thing missing, and that one thing is so important that I must stand against you, in spite of all these great attributes.” That one thing is the first thing – devotion to Jesus. The church of Ephesus was an active, do good, church, filled with people like Martha. They inadvertently substituted service for devotion. Jesus reminds them, just as He reminded Martha, that they had forgotten the first priority – love me.
It is so easy to move from devotion to service. It seems as though we are wired that way. When the dominant culture places emphasis on “what have you done for me,” it doesn’t take long before that thought begins to invade our spiritual lives as well. We measure our spirituality by the tangible results of our efforts. We like check-list religion. It’s so much better than dealing with deep matters of the heart.
But Jesus won’t have it. Actually, no one in a love relationship really wants just performance. God certainly doesn’t. He doesn’t need us to do anything. He is quite capable of handling the operation of the universe without us. We offer our performance only because we love Him, but when the love fades and the performance remains, it has little value to God.
Today is a day to determine if your relationship is thumbs up or thumbs down. It is not about what you are doing. It is about who you love. Doing follows being, and being in love with Jesus is the foundation for all the acts that delight Him.
