Point of Inspiration
Jesus Sells Gold!
Posted by Robert D. Pace in
Wednesday, September 22nd at 2:31 pm (Permalink)
In Revelation 3:18 Jesus said, “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich.” That's strange! Here was the church at Laodicea, “neither hot nor cold,” pridefully boasting of their material wealth. And in response, Jesus tells them to invest their capital. He says, "Buy gold from Me"!
This begs several questions. First, what type of currency is required for making this acquisition? It is clear that dollars, pounds, rubles, nor pesos can procure the treasures of heaven. The Apostle Peter rebuked Simon the Sorcerer by saying, “May you perish with your money because you thought you could purchase the gift of God.” When Jesus said, “buy from Me gold,” it is evident that He would accept a transaction only from Kingdom currency. And faith is the legal tender of the Kingdom! Isaiah 55:1 says, “You who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” Hebrews 11:6 says, “He who comes to God must believe”! When you seek God for His riches, make your exchange with the capital stock of faith!
But second, what is this gold that could possibly transcend Christ’s own worth and glory? He is the incalculable treasure of the universe, yet, He urges the Laodiceans to buy something from Him that is mysterious and costly! This is an incredible word picture John paints in Revelation 3, because here is Jesus, in all His transcendence, standing before the Laodicean church, making His appeal for them to buy gold from Him. What is the nature of this gold that Jesus said we must buy? We know it is no ordinary gold because Jesus called it “gold refined by fire.” That means it is without slag and flawless; perfectly pure! Since nothing transcends the glory and worth of Jesus, this gold represents nothing else than Christ Himself. He had been through the fire! It is His character, His love, His compassion, and His humility—all that He is! Jesus Christ is the gold of Heaven that God liberally exchanges for those who stake their claim of Him through faith. And when you make this divine purchase, Christ will set your soul on fire and drive away all complacency!