Contemplative Bible Reading

Revelation 2:2 (New Living Translation)

I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.

John is writing to the (angel or messenger of) church of Ephesus. John commends them for not tolerating evil people.

Good. There it is! Don’t tolerate those evil people! Away with them! And there are so many evil people, where do we start? And, by the way, if we do away with those evil people, how will we tell them about Jesus?

Oh wait, there is more. (It pays to keep reading.) The intolerable “evil people” mentioned here are those who say they are apostles or teachers of Jesus, but they are not. They are liars when it comes to their relationship with Jesus.

Hmmm. Once again we see indication that there is a difference between the evil outside the Christians and the evil inside the Christians. One is tolerable reality and one is intolerable and should not exist.

We live in an age of tolerance. If someone excludes someone else, they are excluded because of their exclusion-ing. I didn’t make that up folks. If it sounds odd, well, we live in odd times.

God shows us that tolerance is intolerable in some places at some times with some people. Please God, grant me the wisdom to know where, when, and with whom.