Revelation 2:8, 9

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)… and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

The church in Smyrna is often seen as representing the stretch of church history from A.D. 100 to A.D. 312, a season marked by intense persecution and crushing pressure. That fits the name well, because Smyrna is connected to myrrh, a fragrance released only when it is crushed.

That is a striking picture. Myrrh shows up around the life of Jesus in a powerful way. At His birth, He was given gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold spoke of a King. Frankincense pointed to a Priest. Myrrh pointed ahead to death and burial. Even there, at the manger, the shadow of the Cross was already present.

Later, on the Cross, myrrh was offered to Jesus to dull His pain, but He refused it. He would drink the cup the Father gave Him fully. Then myrrh appeared once more when the women came to anoint His body on resurrection morning. But He was not there. He had risen. I like that. The spice of burial could not cling to a risen Savior.

And when Jesus comes again, Isaiah says the nations will bring gold and incense, but not myrrh. Why? Because He is not coming back to die. He is coming back to rule and reign.

That makes Smyrna all the more meaningful. This was a church being crushed, yet Jesus says, “thou art rich.” From the world’s view, they were poor. From heaven’s view, they were wealthy beyond measure. They had tribulation, but they also had what mattered most. Sometimes the richest believers are the ones who have lost almost everything except Christ.

The opposition they faced was fierce. In Smyrna, as in other places, some stirred up persecution against the Christians and slandered them before the Romans. Yet the Lord saw through all of it. He knew the truth. He knew who really belonged to Him.

The pastor at Smyrna was Polycarp, an old saint and the last man personally discipled by John. When ordered to deny Christ and burn incense to Caesar, he refused. He said, in essence, that Christ had been faithful to him all those years, and he would not deny Him now. What a testimony. That kind of courage does not come from human strength alone. It comes from knowing the One who was dead and is alive.

So Smyrna reminds us that crushing is not always a sign of God’s absence. Sometimes it is the very place where the fragrance comes out. Sometimes the church shines brightest when the pressure is greatest.

And the Lord who spoke to Smyrna still speaks to suffering saints now.

He knows.

He sees.

And He still calls crushed people rich.