The Church in Smyrna

The Church in Smyrna

Presumably, a church was planted in Smyrna during Paul’s Ephesian ministry (Acts 19:10), either by Paul himself, or by his converts.

At the end of the first century, life was difficult and dangerous for the church at Smyrna. The city was a hotbed of emperor worship, and many Christians faced execution. The most famous of Smyrna’s martyrs was the aged bishop Polycarp, executed half a century after John’s time.

The Greek word translated “Smyrna” was used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word for “myrrh,” a resinous substance used as a perfume for the living (Matthew 2:11) and the dead (John 19:39). Its association with death perfectly pictures the suffering church at Smyrna. Like myrrh, produced by crushing a fragrant plant, the church at Smyrna, crushed by persecution, gave off a fragrant aroma of faithfulness to God.

Acts 19:10 -   And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 

Matthew 2:11 - And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

John 19:39 - And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.

©2012 Kenute P. Curry. All rights reserved.