Rebuked out of love

This verse comes after harsh words to Laodicea. It echoes Proverbs 3: God corrects the one he loves, as a father corrects his son. The Greek word behind discipline (chasten in the King James Version) is related to the word for child. It means bringing up, the work of a parent.

A hard word from Jesus means he is involved, not that he rejects you. But this verse can also be misused. Not every pain is a lesson from God. And it never justifies people hitting or belittling one another. The aim is that you come back.