It Starts Small

Thyatira was the worst of all the churches in the seven letters. Worse meaning, the ones who had really gotten lost. Thyatira was known for it’s worship of Zeus. In this letter Jesus stresses His deity. He is straight out saying, “This is God speaking to you.” Then the next two characteristics stress the attributes of His deity.

John uses terminology that the bronze workers would understand. John uses a similar description of Jesus:

and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.

Revelation 1:13

Jesus’ eyes represent the eyes of fury and judgement that can penetrate any sham. No facade will pass His notice. We can not hide or disguise ourselves or pretend in His presence.

Perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?

Matthew 9:4

⁹ The heart is more deceitful than anything else,
and incurable—who can understand it?

¹⁰ I, the Lord, examine the mind,
I test the heart
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

Jesus knows our hearts better than we do. We can fool people, but we can not fool Him. Nothing is hidden from His gaze as nothing can hide in the darkness when His all-seeing gaze requires no outside light to reveal it. His eyes themselves are the light which peels back the myriad layers enveloping our darkened hearts which even we have no chance of understanding.

No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Hebrews 4:13

John uses a similar description of feet like fine brass in the first chapter of Revelation.

His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters.

Revelation 1:15

This was polished and brilliant brass. Jesus’ feet, like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, are indicative of the fact that He is the suffering servant. Bronze represents suffering and sacrifice in Scripture. He does not stand far off and apart from it. On the contrary, when we are reviled, it is He who is being slandered. He also goes through every fiery trial with us.

 In Christ, suffering has altered Him so that what once were mere human feet are now as bronze, refined by the many fiery trials through which we, His beloved children, have passed through in Him. By this, we can know that whatever may befall us, whether persecution, cancer, Alzheimer’s, or doubts and trials of the psyche, we are, and will ultimately be, conquerors and over-comers in Him, our great God, and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Is it not amazing our Savior is not only the Son of God, but we can trust in Him to see truth within ourselves when we can not. He points to the specks within our heart because He is in the business of transforming our lives. We can depend upon His piercing gaze to spot in us what is unrighteous and ungodly. Not only can His gaze pierce our heart, but His feet hold true and fast with us as we go through much refining. Just as He stood in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, He also goes through every fiery trial with us.