The one who lives
This week is on Revelation 1:12-18:
For those of you who didn't read ahead, after Jesus died, he came back to life. It took the disciples a bit of time to catch on. In these verses, Jesus appears in his glory. It's a bit like the 1980s movies where the nerdy library girl's glasses fall off and she's suddenly gorgeous, to everyone's astonishment. Jesus, no longer obscured with the disguise of human flesh is now visible in all of his glory, an undefeated conqueror, eternally victorious, and glorious beyond all imagining.
The verses are part of an encounter John of Patmos had with Jesus in a vision. He was stuck on the island of Patmos fleeing persecution, kind of like a Stay At Home lockdown, but with angry Romans instead of killer virus germs. Part of him was probably thinking The Church had lost the battle, that Jesus was the Jesus we see on TV, the weak, uptight, over-polite, judgmental guy in a bathrobe who doesn't let you do what you want, or at least doesn't let you enjoy it. But this Jesus he saw was very different.
Read how he is described in the verses. Imagine you went to visit a friend you hadn't seen in awhile, and when the door opened, you saw this fiery apparition instead. Tell me you wouldn't be at least a little bit terrified! John either fainted or cowered on the ground! His dream was a nightmare until Jesus reached out and placed his right hand on him and said "Don't be afraid."
Jesus says "I am the first and the last, and the one who lives!" He is unstoppable. He cannot be killed or overpowered. He was there before our world came into being, and he will be there after it is gone. He is alive forever. Not just two thousand years ago when these verses were written, and not just on Sundays, but forever.
Jesus says he holds the keys to death and hell. That means he owns them, not that Satan has decided to let him borrow them for the weekend. Death and Hades belong to him and are under his power. Neither of them will be his prison or ours, because he has the keys.
When we pray, or attend church, we're often confronted with images of a dead or dying Jesus. It is definitely important for us to remember his sacrifice on the cross. Many of us are fortunate enough to have Good Friday off so that we can contemplate what happened there. But Jesus is "the one who lives!" He is alive and holds all power! This Jesus, victorious and shining like flame, is who we should think of when we pray and give thanks. Not just Good Friday Jesus but Easter Jesus too!
This Jesus who welcomes us into his kingdom and says "Do not be afraid" is Jesus glorified. He is the light at the end of the tunnel. He is worthy of all of the trust we place in him because he has limitless power, even over life and death. He hears our prayers, because he isn't the one who is dead, or the one who sleeps, but the one who lives.
I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest. His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength. When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive—forever and ever—and I hold the keys of death and of Hades!
For those of you who didn't read ahead, after Jesus died, he came back to life. It took the disciples a bit of time to catch on. In these verses, Jesus appears in his glory. It's a bit like the 1980s movies where the nerdy library girl's glasses fall off and she's suddenly gorgeous, to everyone's astonishment. Jesus, no longer obscured with the disguise of human flesh is now visible in all of his glory, an undefeated conqueror, eternally victorious, and glorious beyond all imagining.
The verses are part of an encounter John of Patmos had with Jesus in a vision. He was stuck on the island of Patmos fleeing persecution, kind of like a Stay At Home lockdown, but with angry Romans instead of killer virus germs. Part of him was probably thinking The Church had lost the battle, that Jesus was the Jesus we see on TV, the weak, uptight, over-polite, judgmental guy in a bathrobe who doesn't let you do what you want, or at least doesn't let you enjoy it. But this Jesus he saw was very different.
Read how he is described in the verses. Imagine you went to visit a friend you hadn't seen in awhile, and when the door opened, you saw this fiery apparition instead. Tell me you wouldn't be at least a little bit terrified! John either fainted or cowered on the ground! His dream was a nightmare until Jesus reached out and placed his right hand on him and said "Don't be afraid."
Jesus says "I am the first and the last, and the one who lives!" He is unstoppable. He cannot be killed or overpowered. He was there before our world came into being, and he will be there after it is gone. He is alive forever. Not just two thousand years ago when these verses were written, and not just on Sundays, but forever.
Jesus says he holds the keys to death and hell. That means he owns them, not that Satan has decided to let him borrow them for the weekend. Death and Hades belong to him and are under his power. Neither of them will be his prison or ours, because he has the keys.
When we pray, or attend church, we're often confronted with images of a dead or dying Jesus. It is definitely important for us to remember his sacrifice on the cross. Many of us are fortunate enough to have Good Friday off so that we can contemplate what happened there. But Jesus is "the one who lives!" He is alive and holds all power! This Jesus, victorious and shining like flame, is who we should think of when we pray and give thanks. Not just Good Friday Jesus but Easter Jesus too!
This Jesus who welcomes us into his kingdom and says "Do not be afraid" is Jesus glorified. He is the light at the end of the tunnel. He is worthy of all of the trust we place in him because he has limitless power, even over life and death. He hears our prayers, because he isn't the one who is dead, or the one who sleeps, but the one who lives.
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