Worthy is the Lamb

In Revelation 5:1-7, John sees a vision of God upon His throne holding a scroll in His hand. Scrolls were usually written on one side for ease of reading while being unrolled, but this one was filled with writing on both sides. This scroll is marked with seven seals to indicate God’s authority and ownership of what is written on it. Whatever the scroll reads, it must represent God’s will and plan for all things.

Who is worthy? John must have been curious what was contained in the scroll, but it could not be read while it remained sealed. Suddenly a mighty angel cried out, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Only one who is able to carry out God’s will in its fullness could open the scroll. Even the mighty angel did not step forward to do so himself! Even though that angel must have been particularly powerful to be distinguished in that way, he still falls short of what is needed. Perfect power and holiness are required to open the scroll.

 

The mighty angel has called for anyone to step forward, but still there is no one—none of the cherubim, seraphim, angels, living creatures, elders, or any man or woman on earth, alive or dead. John can only weep bitterly that the scroll could not be opened.

 

The Lion-Lamb. One of the elders tells John that he has no reason to weep. There is someone who is worthy—a conqueror named the Lion of Judah! He is the Root of David and He alone is worthy to open the scroll.

 

The “Lion of Judah” is a reference to Genesis 49:9-10, a prophetic promise given to Jacob’s son Judah. The tribe of Judah would have power and rule “until Shiloh comes” (NKJV). This prophecy was understood by the Jews to be messianic in nature. Shiloh is difficult to translate but likely means “he for whom it is laid up” as in the LXX or “whose it is” as in the Syriac OT[1]. This interpretation is reinforced by later quotations of Genesis 49:10 in Ezekiel 21:27 (“until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs”) and Galatians 3:19 (“until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made”). In any case, the idea behind the “Lion of Judah” reference in Revelation 5 is to identify Jesus as the one who takes over the eternal scepter and rule from the tribe of Judah, which is then extended to the kingdom of God throughout the world (Isaiah 2:2-4).

 

The ”Root of David” is another Old Testament reference from Isaiah 11. The first verse of that chapter shows that the Messiah would be a descendent of David’s family, but the tenth verse follows that up with a description of Jesus as the source of David’s family. How can the Messiah be both? This is a similar point to the one Peter made in Acts 2:25-35. The physical lineage of Jesus can be traced to David, but Jesus also predates David because He is without beginning. This affirms the duality of Jesus as God and man.

 

However, when John turns to look at the Lion of Judah, he actually sees a Lamb as though it had been slain. That is a very different image than what was previously described to him! Lambs are not powerful creatures, yet He is the only one capable of breaking the seals? These mixed metaphors help us to appreciate the complex nature of Jesus. He is Conqueror, but also the sacrifice. He is King, but also the one who was rejected and killed.

 

Upon closer inspection, the Lamb was not a typical Lamb after all. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes. Horns are a symbol of strength and authority in Scripture, and Jesus has them sevenfold! The seven eyes are explained in the text as the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. This is an illustration used several times in Revelation up to this point.

 

The plan of God is fulfilled in Jesus. Only the Lion-Lamb is able to step forward to take the scroll from the Father. The implication for us is profound. Everything that the Father has planned from before the beginning culminates in the work of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. The blood of Jesus atones for our sins, His intercession mediates on our behalf, and His grace fills us and changes us as we serve Him. The Holy Spirit goes forth at Jesus’ word to seal us and instruct us in the word. And of course, Jesus will defeat the forces of sin and death in the end. When no one else could save us and reconcile us with God, the Lion of Judah and Sacrificial Lamb won us a great victory.


[1] Ellicott’s Bible Commentary for English Readers, commentary on Genesis 49:10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Supremacy of the Lord's Anointed

Image
Like many of the psalms, Psalm 2 has two layers of meaning. Both have to do with the concept of the Lord’s Anointed One, but one is the shadow and the other the substance. The immediate meaning that the ancient Israelites would have thought of as they sang it is God’s promise to David to build him a house and for his lineage to rule in Israel forever. The second, greater meaning is how Jesus is the true Anointed One who reigns over the world. 1) Conspiracy against God.  “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Ps. 2:1-3).   The kings of every nation gather together angrily to plot against God. This is not about any particular event in history or the present day, but instead portrays the spirit within the nations. They do not submit themselves to God’s power but look to ...
Read more

Most of All

Image
You can tell a lot about a person’s priorities by the way they present themselves. We portray an image to others that represents what it is important to us and how we want people to think of us. Sometimes we do this deliberately and strategically, but it can also be without any forethought. Either way, we learn about ourselves when we consider what we want to be known for most of all. 1) Most of all, I am rich.  The human race has always been obsessed with wealth. Most people want more money than they have, regardless of their current level of wealth. When abused, the drive for more money can lead to overwork (Prov. 23:4-5), get-rich-quick schemes (Prov. 28:19-20), and dishonest gain (Prov. 20:10, 17).   Many are also interested in looking like they have more money than they actually do. We covet status symbols like cars, clothes, and jewelry that will signal to others that we are wealthy. Oftentimes the utility of the item is not even the important part—fake designer bags and...
Read more

The Ark of Salvation

Image
2 Peter 2:4-10 uses several examples from biblical history to teach about the final judgment of mankind. One of those is the cataclysmic flood in the days of Noah. We can follow Peter’s  lead and learn many lessons about  salvation and judgment from this event. 1) God is willing to judge evil. God was not impotent or undisturbed in the face of the great evil in the ancient world. God saw their wickedness and the intention of their hearts (Gen. 6:5) and was grieved (v. 6). He determined to bring destruction against the earth on a broad and terrifying scale (v. 7). This was not merely a passing thought—He followed through and the flood came as He planned. Peter tells us what lesson we should learn from this. If God reacted in this way to sin back then and followed through with His judgment, why should we expect that He is any different today? In fact, this is just one example of three that Peter used. If we intend to bet on God suddenly having a different personality and att...
Read more