Is tolerance always a good thing? According to the Lord Jesus Christ in His letter to the church at Thyatira, not always.
Dictating a letter through the aged apostle John, Jesus had a corrective message for this otherwise-commendable church:
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like burnished bronze, says this:
19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith, and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with plague, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Revelation 2:18-23 (NASB)
Very harsh words from the One who brutally suffered and died on a cross to lovingly redeem a people to Himself. There is an important lesson for all of us here – those who mislead and turn people away from the living God are setting themselves up for a severe punishment beyond their conception.
We saw this in the Old Testament, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, having spent forty wonderful days in the presence of the Lord. Moses descended to witness a widespread outbreak of idolatry and sexual immorality among many of the people he had led out of slavery.
1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then he took the gold from their hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a cast metal calf; and they said, “This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5 Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 So the next day they got up early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to engage in lewd behavior. Exodus 32:1-6 (NASB)
Aaron had previously done faithful and wonderful works in the Lord alongside Moses, together bravely confronting Pharaoh with each of ten miraculous plagues the Lord sent to free Israel from Egypt’s slavery. Like the church at Thyatira, he was known by God for deeds of love, faith, service, and perseverance. But his excessive tolerance of the peoples’ idolatry and sexual immorality was a serious sin that ultimately led to the death of thousands of people by the Lord’s judgment.
God was so angry with this idolatrous betrayal that He was actually ready to start over again with an entirely new people, even after all He had invested to free them from Egypt and sustain them in the wilderness. But faithful Moses prayed diligently for them, and saved them. This is another lesson for us all on the power and importance of prayer.
Aaron was forgiven and cleansed for his part in the matter and went on to become High Priest and spiritual leader, with great authority over the people. Similarly, Christ extends the same grace to the church at Thyatira, promising authority to those who would stand up to evil, and reject and expel any and all blasphemous and sacrilegious behavior from their church.
24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless what you have, hold firmly until I come.
26 The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations; 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are shattered, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 2:24-29 (NASB)
May the Lord grant us all wisdom and discernment, knowing when it is proper to extend the loving hand of tolerance to those who are seeking Him, no matter how different from us they may be. May we also have the divine courage to bravely stand up to and call out those who are planting the evil leaven of idolatry and sexual immorality within the church, misleading others from the truth of the gospel and the purity of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection
Who do I need to extend grace and forgiveness to today?
Where do I need to show a godly tolerance?
Where do I need to bravely confront, with love and mercy, threats to the integrity and reverence of the church body?
Lord, teach us to follow You with great love for our fellow worshipers, always seeking to forgive when offended, but also to stand up for Your truth when it would otherwise be easier to stay silent. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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