Smyrna and myrrh ...

Recently I was thinking about New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a place dear to my heart. That in turn suggested thought about ancient Smyrna -- the suffering church to which Jesus wrote (Revelation 2:8-11).

Smyrna, present day Izmir, Turkey, is the second of seven churches in Asia Minor that received an evaluation of its overall spiritual condition as recorded in the Book of Revelation.

The city's name means "myrrh", which is obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense and tastes bitter. Myrrh was used chiefly in embalming the dead, because it had the property of preserving dead bodies from putrefaction John 19:39). This type of embalming was used in Egypt and Judea.

Smyrna was located about 40 miles to the north of Ephesus and was likely founded by the apostle Paul. The celebrated Polycarp, a pupil of the apostle John, was in the second century a prominent leader in the church of Smyrna. Here he suffered martyrdom, A.D. 155.

Come back with me to the name Smyrna -- meaning myrrh. This gum resin, myrrh, is bitter to the taste but sweet to the smell. Likewise the church in Smyrna faced bitter persecution and death, yet it emitted a fragrant testimony of faithful commitment to Jesus.

You and I are in different parts of the Body of Christ, the Church. Each of us can add to this fragrant testimony or detract from it. Better to add -- we each become myrrh bearers in that case. GRL3