“I know your works, that you are neither cold or hot. I wish that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16, HCSB).
While the church in Sardis was chastised for its dearth of spiritual vitality, the spiritual condition of the church in Laodicea was repugnant because it was lukewarm–neither cold nor hot.
“So you talk, but you keep on doing all the evil you can” (Jeremiah 3: 5, NLT).
At the time of Jeremiah’s ministry, the northern kingdom of Israel had been captured and exiled by the Assyrians, and now over 100 years later, the southern kingdom, Judah, was about to be conquered by the Babylonians.
“But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass justice and love for God. These things you should have done without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves; the people who walk over them don’t know it.” (Luke 11:42, HCSB).
Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee to dine with him. Presumably several scribes and Pharisees were also present at the dinner.
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