[Originally preached 27 April, 2003]
Revelation 5.1-7
As you read through the book of Revelation you find different pictures of Jesus. These aren’t intended to have any physical resemblance to Jesus. Rather, they highlight certain characteristics of Jesus by means of symbols. In this John is performing an essential duty of every preacher. Preachers are always to be answering the questions, ‘Who is this Jesus?’ and ‘What did He do?’ As the preacher answers these questions he is preaching the Gospel. And that is the goal of the book of Revelation, preaching the Gospel of Jesus. So, back in chapter one we saw one set of symbols describing our Lord. You'll remember the hair white as wool, the eyes as flames of fire, the sword that proceeded out of His mouth. When we get to chapter twelve we’ll see a different symbol for Jesus, the male child who was born of the woman. And then there’s the imagery of chapter nineteen, the rider with the many crowns riding on the white horse. Different symbols to emphasize different aspects of Jesus and His Gospel. Likewise, in our text, we find some aspect of the character and work of Jesus pictured. The point in all of this is not the mere accumulation of information. The point is gaining wisdom, insight into how to live faithfully. The text makes a claim on your life, or better, Jesus makes a claim on your life using this text. He calls you to greater faithfulness by this text. The goal for the morning is to listen as your Lord speaks.
As John watches the drama of heaven unfold before his eyes a problem is uncovered, a problem that relates to the scroll. What the problem is we’ll leave for another time. But it is in the context of this problem that John at first hears something about Jesus. One of the twenty-four elders speaks to John. He describes Jesus in a way that is fitting to the particular situation.
And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5
Let’s consider these three images the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, and the notion of conquering. First, the Lion. This points back to a prophecy that Jacob made on his deathbed.
Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? Genesis 49:9
Now, why a lion? Here we need to consider what the image of a lion suggests in the rest of the Scriptures. Listen to a couple of places where this image is used.
The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. Proverbs 20:2
Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride: the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any… Proverbs 30:29-30
The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake… Joel 3:16
Actually, the biblical imagery associated with the lion carries over into our own culture. Even to us, the lion is a ferocious animal to be feared. Jesus is a lion, the Lion of Judah.
Then there’s the Root of David. This reference to David points to Jesus’ royal messianic role. I think that you remember what the children said when Jesus entered Jerusalem. ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’ As Jesus rides into the city on that colt the children praise Him as the Messiah who has come to rule. But we don’t read ‘Son of David’ in our text, but rather ‘Root of David’. If you can think of a root being the source of the rest of the plant then you’ll see that by this symbol the elder is pointing to Jesus as David's Lord as well as his regal Son. So far, we have a picture of Jesus as the ruling messiah, the royal Lord and Son of David, who, as the Lion of Judah, is to be greatly feared. The last aspect of what the elder said fits nicely. This Lion has conquered. He has overcome His enemies and is victorious over His foes. And so, the fearsome Lion of Judah rules as messianic king, having completely vanquished all who opposed Him.
Now, there is a certain parallel between this chapter and what we saw in the vision back in chapter one. Back then, John first heard something, the loud voice. Then, after hearing the voice, he turned to see the vision of Jesus. Here again, John first hears something, the words of the elder as he describes Jesus. Then, after hearing these words, he turns to see the vision of Jesus. But when John turns he doesn’t see what he probably expected. John doesn’t see a lion. Instead, he sees a lamb. And this lamb had been slain. And then there are these eyes and horns. Now, when we read this there are two issues that we need to deal with. First, we need to understand the imagery of the lamb, just as we did the lion. But then we need to figure out why it is that John sees a lamb instead of the lion that the elder described.
So, first the imagery of the lamb. When you think about a lamb there are many places in the Bible that might come to mind. One that probably jumps out at you is this one. ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.’ And that fits well with our text. But behind even that text is another one from Isaiah.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7
Here we do ‘behold the Lamb of God’. And what word would you use to describe Him as He is led to the slaughter? ‘Passive’ doesn’t do Him justice. Jesus was very active in not resisting His tormentors. What we see is a humble submission to God as those wicked men tortured Him. But this is exactly the opposite of what we would expect of a lion. A cornered lion will roar and lash out with his mighty claws. They might take him down but not without cost. But a lamb goes quietly to its death. And Isaiah put it well when he used the language of slaughter. That’s really how the text in Revelation should be translated. There are some perfectly good Greek words for ‘kill’ or ‘slay’. The word that is in our text isn’t one of them. It is the word for ‘slaughter’. John turns to see a lamb who had been slaughtered, overwhelmed and destroyed by its attackers. And what is this all about? It’s about the cross. To all appearances, at the cross Jesus was overwhelmed by His foes and slaughtered. That’s the Lamb that John saw.
Now, how does the image of a lamb, a slaughtered lamb, fit with the image of a ferocious lion? They don’t seem to go together, do they? Was the elder mistaken? Obviously not. These two must fit together. Jesus is the regal Lion of Judah. He is ferocious and to be feared. He did overwhelm His enemies. He did conquer. But please notice His method. He overwhelms His foes by tamely allowing Himself to be slaughtered. Jesus conquered by the cross. This actually makes Him more fearsome. His method of battle is not what one normally expects. He fools people into thinking that they have won when it is He who has actually conquered. How deceptive! This Lamb really is a Lion, except more so.
We’re not quite done with the Lamb. There are two other bits of information that we need to work on so that we can have a proper understanding of this image that John reports to us. We still have the seven horns and the seven eyes. The number seven is not difficult to fathom. It represents completeness, fullness and, in this sense, perfection. We see this notion reflected in the seven days of creation, the seven-year cycle in the Mosaic Law and in the sevenfold vengeance for Cain. All relate to the idea of completeness. It might even be reflected in our phrase ‘the seven seas’ referring to all the seas of the globe. So much for the symbolism of the number seven. What about the horns and the eyes? The eyes are not hard. They are associated with the notion of sight. We can understand what they are symbolizing by considering a couple of passages.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9
The eyes of the Lamb see and gain knowledge. And that knowledge is as deep as the secrets of your heart and as wide as the whole earth.
The horn was a symbol of strength. We find it used in both the Old Testament and the New.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David… Luke 1:68-69
So, what do we have? We have a Lamb with seven horns, complete power, and seven eyes, complete knowledge. This Lamb is almighty and all knowing, the omnipotent and omniscient one.
So, let’s put all of this together. Jesus is the royal one who is to be feared as one fears a ferocious lion. And yet, He does not function as a lion does. Rather His methods are epitomized in the cross where He humbly allowed evil men to slaughter Him. By these means He has conquered. It is this Jesus who now rules. He rules with complete power and fully aware of everything that is going on. And it is this Jesus who is worthy to take the scroll.
Next time, we’ll look at that scroll. But for now, we need to ask the simple question. What difference did all of this make to the seven churches? What difference does it make to us? Let me mention a few things. First, there is the note of hope. To understand this, you have to remember the situation of the seven churches. They were a small minority in the midst of an un-Godly culture that persisted in trying to squeeze them into their mold. The pressure to conform was always on. It wasn’t as if there were some grand conspiracy against the Christians. It’s just that the society at large understood ‘normal’ in a certain way. Anyone who didn’t match that was considered ‘abnormal’ and was expected to change. And so, in subtle and not so subtle ways, the pressure to conform, to fit in with what was to the majority obviously ‘normal’, was always being applied. That’s the way it always is. So, Jesus reveals Himself in this way to John to remind the saints that He knows everything. He knows exactly what’s going on. They weren’t being forgotten nor were they overlooked. He knows! And remember that tied to that knowledge is power, complete power. Jesus rules with power. And it was important that the churches be reminded of that because they were daily reminded of the power of Rome. Whatever form power might take, Rome had it. Its armies were throughout the world and feared by all. Added to that was the economic might of an empire and the political ability to do anything. Who could stand before such might? Certainly not a handful of Christians gathered here and there in Asia Minor. And yet, that is exactly what they were called to do. Isn’t that one of the lessons of the seven letters? Jesus expected them to stand faithfully against all the pressure to conform. Could they do that? Could they stand faithfully? Yes, they could, but only because of the power of Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t exercise that power as a lion would. Jesus rules with great power over all but as a Lamb. So, who will win when the ferocious beast of Rome pounces on the Lamb of God and those with Him? Isn’t the outcome obvious? Yes, it is. The Lamb has overcome. The Lamb has conquered. Jesus is Lord. Not Caesar. Not Satan. And the day will come when everyone will know that. Then ‘every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord’. The question is whether you will believe it in the mean time. You see, you and I are in the same situation that those first century Christians were in. The pressure to conform is always on. ‘Normal’ is defined by the majority and Christian discipleship doesn’t fit in. And yet, Jesus calls you to stand against the pressure. Jesus calls you to faithfulness. Can you do that?
What the Church always needs to remember is that things are not what they may appear to be. John is privileged to gain a heavenly perspective. He shares that with us. Jesus rules. He has conquered. He knows exactly what is going on and has complete power to bring His will to pass. So, even when things seem their bleakest, they aren’t. The Lamb still reigns.
Let me share a second thought. We need to be very careful lest we adopt the attitude of our culture when it comes to power. A basic premise of our world is that power is the key to success. To put it differently, the assumption of our culture is that if you are going to succeed then you’d better be a lion and act like it. You need to establish your own turf and establish your own reputation to hold on to that turf. You need to know how to roar. That’s the route to success.
But Jesus says ‘No!’ to all of that. True success is not found in this way. Rather, it is found in being a lamb, a lamb that humbly submits according to God’s plan even if it means that they will slaughter you. We who profess to be Christians are called to follow Him faithfully, to imitate Him faithfully. And if that means that we will be crushed in the process, so be it. ‘For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.’ [Mark 8:35] The world will think us fools. But in the end, because of our faithful ‘foolishness’ we will deliver our souls from death and may just be the means by which some of their souls are delivered also.
Here, we must be careful. We have all been affected by this attitude of our culture. We have all been told that we must strive for some sense of power, that we need to be strong in one way or another, that we need to act like lions. Some of the poison of our world is running in our veins. And it gets really scary when we think that the same poison is affecting our children. In some of them, the affect will be to push them to achieve, to outdo others, to establish themselves as formidable in the eyes of others, if not in their own eyes. But in some of our children, there will be the opposite affect. These will be unable to achieve, to outdo the others, to establish themselves as formidable in anyone’s eyes. And so, they will see themselves not only as powerless but also as failures. Watch your children. Protect them from the poison. Don’t let them buy the lie that says that they have to act like lions.
They key to all of this is, of course, how you respond to the Spirit as He deals with you. His work of redemption is more than rescuing your soul from hell. It’s also rescuing your mind from the ways of this world. Don’t fight him when He points out your sin. Don’t fight Him when He points out how you are trying to act like a lion. Submit yourself to Him so that you might become a lamb like Jesus.
Revelation 5.1-7
As you read through the book of Revelation you find different pictures of Jesus. These aren’t intended to have any physical resemblance to Jesus. Rather, they highlight certain characteristics of Jesus by means of symbols. In this John is performing an essential duty of every preacher. Preachers are always to be answering the questions, ‘Who is this Jesus?’ and ‘What did He do?’ As the preacher answers these questions he is preaching the Gospel. And that is the goal of the book of Revelation, preaching the Gospel of Jesus. So, back in chapter one we saw one set of symbols describing our Lord. You'll remember the hair white as wool, the eyes as flames of fire, the sword that proceeded out of His mouth. When we get to chapter twelve we’ll see a different symbol for Jesus, the male child who was born of the woman. And then there’s the imagery of chapter nineteen, the rider with the many crowns riding on the white horse. Different symbols to emphasize different aspects of Jesus and His Gospel. Likewise, in our text, we find some aspect of the character and work of Jesus pictured. The point in all of this is not the mere accumulation of information. The point is gaining wisdom, insight into how to live faithfully. The text makes a claim on your life, or better, Jesus makes a claim on your life using this text. He calls you to greater faithfulness by this text. The goal for the morning is to listen as your Lord speaks.
As John watches the drama of heaven unfold before his eyes a problem is uncovered, a problem that relates to the scroll. What the problem is we’ll leave for another time. But it is in the context of this problem that John at first hears something about Jesus. One of the twenty-four elders speaks to John. He describes Jesus in a way that is fitting to the particular situation.
And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5
Let’s consider these three images the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, and the notion of conquering. First, the Lion. This points back to a prophecy that Jacob made on his deathbed.
Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? Genesis 49:9
Now, why a lion? Here we need to consider what the image of a lion suggests in the rest of the Scriptures. Listen to a couple of places where this image is used.
The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. Proverbs 20:2
Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride: the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any… Proverbs 30:29-30
The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake… Joel 3:16
Actually, the biblical imagery associated with the lion carries over into our own culture. Even to us, the lion is a ferocious animal to be feared. Jesus is a lion, the Lion of Judah.
Then there’s the Root of David. This reference to David points to Jesus’ royal messianic role. I think that you remember what the children said when Jesus entered Jerusalem. ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’ As Jesus rides into the city on that colt the children praise Him as the Messiah who has come to rule. But we don’t read ‘Son of David’ in our text, but rather ‘Root of David’. If you can think of a root being the source of the rest of the plant then you’ll see that by this symbol the elder is pointing to Jesus as David's Lord as well as his regal Son. So far, we have a picture of Jesus as the ruling messiah, the royal Lord and Son of David, who, as the Lion of Judah, is to be greatly feared. The last aspect of what the elder said fits nicely. This Lion has conquered. He has overcome His enemies and is victorious over His foes. And so, the fearsome Lion of Judah rules as messianic king, having completely vanquished all who opposed Him.
Now, there is a certain parallel between this chapter and what we saw in the vision back in chapter one. Back then, John first heard something, the loud voice. Then, after hearing the voice, he turned to see the vision of Jesus. Here again, John first hears something, the words of the elder as he describes Jesus. Then, after hearing these words, he turns to see the vision of Jesus. But when John turns he doesn’t see what he probably expected. John doesn’t see a lion. Instead, he sees a lamb. And this lamb had been slain. And then there are these eyes and horns. Now, when we read this there are two issues that we need to deal with. First, we need to understand the imagery of the lamb, just as we did the lion. But then we need to figure out why it is that John sees a lamb instead of the lion that the elder described.
So, first the imagery of the lamb. When you think about a lamb there are many places in the Bible that might come to mind. One that probably jumps out at you is this one. ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.’ And that fits well with our text. But behind even that text is another one from Isaiah.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7
Here we do ‘behold the Lamb of God’. And what word would you use to describe Him as He is led to the slaughter? ‘Passive’ doesn’t do Him justice. Jesus was very active in not resisting His tormentors. What we see is a humble submission to God as those wicked men tortured Him. But this is exactly the opposite of what we would expect of a lion. A cornered lion will roar and lash out with his mighty claws. They might take him down but not without cost. But a lamb goes quietly to its death. And Isaiah put it well when he used the language of slaughter. That’s really how the text in Revelation should be translated. There are some perfectly good Greek words for ‘kill’ or ‘slay’. The word that is in our text isn’t one of them. It is the word for ‘slaughter’. John turns to see a lamb who had been slaughtered, overwhelmed and destroyed by its attackers. And what is this all about? It’s about the cross. To all appearances, at the cross Jesus was overwhelmed by His foes and slaughtered. That’s the Lamb that John saw.
Now, how does the image of a lamb, a slaughtered lamb, fit with the image of a ferocious lion? They don’t seem to go together, do they? Was the elder mistaken? Obviously not. These two must fit together. Jesus is the regal Lion of Judah. He is ferocious and to be feared. He did overwhelm His enemies. He did conquer. But please notice His method. He overwhelms His foes by tamely allowing Himself to be slaughtered. Jesus conquered by the cross. This actually makes Him more fearsome. His method of battle is not what one normally expects. He fools people into thinking that they have won when it is He who has actually conquered. How deceptive! This Lamb really is a Lion, except more so.
We’re not quite done with the Lamb. There are two other bits of information that we need to work on so that we can have a proper understanding of this image that John reports to us. We still have the seven horns and the seven eyes. The number seven is not difficult to fathom. It represents completeness, fullness and, in this sense, perfection. We see this notion reflected in the seven days of creation, the seven-year cycle in the Mosaic Law and in the sevenfold vengeance for Cain. All relate to the idea of completeness. It might even be reflected in our phrase ‘the seven seas’ referring to all the seas of the globe. So much for the symbolism of the number seven. What about the horns and the eyes? The eyes are not hard. They are associated with the notion of sight. We can understand what they are symbolizing by considering a couple of passages.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9
The eyes of the Lamb see and gain knowledge. And that knowledge is as deep as the secrets of your heart and as wide as the whole earth.
The horn was a symbol of strength. We find it used in both the Old Testament and the New.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David… Luke 1:68-69
So, what do we have? We have a Lamb with seven horns, complete power, and seven eyes, complete knowledge. This Lamb is almighty and all knowing, the omnipotent and omniscient one.
So, let’s put all of this together. Jesus is the royal one who is to be feared as one fears a ferocious lion. And yet, He does not function as a lion does. Rather His methods are epitomized in the cross where He humbly allowed evil men to slaughter Him. By these means He has conquered. It is this Jesus who now rules. He rules with complete power and fully aware of everything that is going on. And it is this Jesus who is worthy to take the scroll.
Next time, we’ll look at that scroll. But for now, we need to ask the simple question. What difference did all of this make to the seven churches? What difference does it make to us? Let me mention a few things. First, there is the note of hope. To understand this, you have to remember the situation of the seven churches. They were a small minority in the midst of an un-Godly culture that persisted in trying to squeeze them into their mold. The pressure to conform was always on. It wasn’t as if there were some grand conspiracy against the Christians. It’s just that the society at large understood ‘normal’ in a certain way. Anyone who didn’t match that was considered ‘abnormal’ and was expected to change. And so, in subtle and not so subtle ways, the pressure to conform, to fit in with what was to the majority obviously ‘normal’, was always being applied. That’s the way it always is. So, Jesus reveals Himself in this way to John to remind the saints that He knows everything. He knows exactly what’s going on. They weren’t being forgotten nor were they overlooked. He knows! And remember that tied to that knowledge is power, complete power. Jesus rules with power. And it was important that the churches be reminded of that because they were daily reminded of the power of Rome. Whatever form power might take, Rome had it. Its armies were throughout the world and feared by all. Added to that was the economic might of an empire and the political ability to do anything. Who could stand before such might? Certainly not a handful of Christians gathered here and there in Asia Minor. And yet, that is exactly what they were called to do. Isn’t that one of the lessons of the seven letters? Jesus expected them to stand faithfully against all the pressure to conform. Could they do that? Could they stand faithfully? Yes, they could, but only because of the power of Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t exercise that power as a lion would. Jesus rules with great power over all but as a Lamb. So, who will win when the ferocious beast of Rome pounces on the Lamb of God and those with Him? Isn’t the outcome obvious? Yes, it is. The Lamb has overcome. The Lamb has conquered. Jesus is Lord. Not Caesar. Not Satan. And the day will come when everyone will know that. Then ‘every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord’. The question is whether you will believe it in the mean time. You see, you and I are in the same situation that those first century Christians were in. The pressure to conform is always on. ‘Normal’ is defined by the majority and Christian discipleship doesn’t fit in. And yet, Jesus calls you to stand against the pressure. Jesus calls you to faithfulness. Can you do that?
What the Church always needs to remember is that things are not what they may appear to be. John is privileged to gain a heavenly perspective. He shares that with us. Jesus rules. He has conquered. He knows exactly what is going on and has complete power to bring His will to pass. So, even when things seem their bleakest, they aren’t. The Lamb still reigns.
Let me share a second thought. We need to be very careful lest we adopt the attitude of our culture when it comes to power. A basic premise of our world is that power is the key to success. To put it differently, the assumption of our culture is that if you are going to succeed then you’d better be a lion and act like it. You need to establish your own turf and establish your own reputation to hold on to that turf. You need to know how to roar. That’s the route to success.
But Jesus says ‘No!’ to all of that. True success is not found in this way. Rather, it is found in being a lamb, a lamb that humbly submits according to God’s plan even if it means that they will slaughter you. We who profess to be Christians are called to follow Him faithfully, to imitate Him faithfully. And if that means that we will be crushed in the process, so be it. ‘For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.’ [Mark 8:35] The world will think us fools. But in the end, because of our faithful ‘foolishness’ we will deliver our souls from death and may just be the means by which some of their souls are delivered also.
Here, we must be careful. We have all been affected by this attitude of our culture. We have all been told that we must strive for some sense of power, that we need to be strong in one way or another, that we need to act like lions. Some of the poison of our world is running in our veins. And it gets really scary when we think that the same poison is affecting our children. In some of them, the affect will be to push them to achieve, to outdo others, to establish themselves as formidable in the eyes of others, if not in their own eyes. But in some of our children, there will be the opposite affect. These will be unable to achieve, to outdo the others, to establish themselves as formidable in anyone’s eyes. And so, they will see themselves not only as powerless but also as failures. Watch your children. Protect them from the poison. Don’t let them buy the lie that says that they have to act like lions.
They key to all of this is, of course, how you respond to the Spirit as He deals with you. His work of redemption is more than rescuing your soul from hell. It’s also rescuing your mind from the ways of this world. Don’t fight him when He points out your sin. Don’t fight Him when He points out how you are trying to act like a lion. Submit yourself to Him so that you might become a lamb like Jesus.
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