I was raised in a traditional
Southern Baptist Church, and by that I mean I attended an SBC church nine
months before I was born. One of my most vivid memories is walking the hall of
the children’s area, and seeing a painting. It was a beautiful painting of
Jesus with dozens of children all around him. I’ve also seen a picture of Jesus
in the garden as he was being tempted, praying to his Father with a halo around
his head and with an irenic face. And the third picture I have in mind is one
of the most famous paintings of all time, The
Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci.
What do these paintings all have in
common? Well, they’re all stunning in the talent on display in them. Each of
them is incredibly beautiful and shows a degree of exactitude that I can’t even
imagine. But there’s something else about them, something that really bothers
me. In each of them, Jesus is presented as being Caucasian/white. Not that
there’s anything wrong with pale skin per se (as you can see from my profile
picture, I’m pretty pale myself). The problem is that’s not accurate. Jesus was
a Jew in the 1st century. If you traveled back in time and visited
that time period, Jews of that time tended to have a skin pigmentation several shades
darker than your average white guy. He probably didn’t have blond hair either.
Believe it or not, I actually have a
point here. What does Jesus look like? Right now? Well, apparently right after
the Resurrection he looked enough like his old self that his friends were able
to recognize him when he allowed them to. So there was no radical change there.
After the Gospels, we’re never given
even a hint of what he looks like. Until today’s reading in Revelation chapter
one. John turned his head when a voice called him, and what he saw literally
brought him to his face on the ground.
Now, we need to try to think clearly
on this. Jesus is God. He can make himself look like anything or anyone he wants.
So he chose to appear like this to his beloved apostle, and allow him to record
what he saw. Why?
Well, however you interpret this
book, there’s one main message you've absolutely got to (figuratively) tattoo
on your forehead: The Lord Jesus is in charge, no matter how it looks right now. And in
the end, he’s going to win. Decisively. Maybe that would be a bit much
to tattoo on your forehead, but you get the idea. If you get the message stated
above, you’ve got the main point of the book of Revelation. Yes, there are
other details that we can debate about, but that’s all they are: Details.
Now with all that lead in, what do
all these things mean?
·
Like a son of man. I’m quite
aware that Jesus’ favorite self-designation while on earth was “Son of man.” There’s
a decent argument that this was a title he gave himself to identify with us in
his humanity. But that’s not what John is meaning here. He’s referring to Daniel
chapter seven, when the Ancient of Days sat on his Throne, and one “like a
son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven” approaches him. This Person is
given full “authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of
every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will
not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
·
Dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with
a golden sash around his chest. This was the garment
of the High Priest who served in the temple, who stood between God and sinful
humanity.
·
The hair on his head was white like wool, as white
as snow. Now
we’re back to Daniel
7, where the description of God himself on the throne is said to have hair “white
like wool.”
·
His eyes were like blazing fire. This is the one
that strikes me the hardest. Since I’m diabetic, I try to get an eye exam once
a year, when they check my eyes for any damage from my disease. The part I hate
the most is when they dilate my eyes (thus making them more vulnerable), make
me put my eye against this eyepiece, and then shine the brightest light I’ve
ever seen into it. I feel like they’re piercing my skull. Whenever I get that
exam, I think of this passage.
Remember
back in 1 Cor. 3, where our works are judged by the Lord Jesus? The works we've (supposedly) done for him are passed through fire, and what reward we have is based on what
survives. He’s going to look at your works, my friend, and there’ll be no
pretense then. Any excuses or deceit or doing anything for impressing men will
be consumed by his all-piercing gaze. And this will be the same gaze that
judges those who aren’t covered by his blood. It’ll pierce to the heart of
hearts and soul of souls, to strip one naked before his gaze. You think Adam
and Eve were embarrassed
to be naked in his presence? That will be nothing compared to being on
his wrong side on that Day.
·
His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace. MacArthur: "The
altar of burnt offering was covered with brass and its utensils were made of
the same material (cf. Ex
38:1-7). Glowing hot, brass feet are a clear reference to divine judgment.
Jesus Christ with feet of judgment is moving through His church to exercise His
chastening authority upon sin."
·
His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. You ever been to
Niagara Falls or in the middle of a sea in a heart-stopping storm? EXTREMELY
LOUD AND INTIMIDATING, RIGHT? One word: Authority.
·
In his right hand he held seven stars. These represent
the seven churches (and thus the Church as a whole), which we’ll get to
tomorrow.
·
Coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged
sword. This
is his word,
which is as deadly as any double-edged sword, but more precise and finer than the
sharpest surgeon’s scalpel.
·
His face was like the sun shining in all its
brilliance. This
is the One whom angels dare not look
upon face to face, covering
their own faces with their wings.
My friend, if you needed any
corrective to this picture of the Meek and Mild Jesus, the slightly anorexic
Jesus you’ve often seen in paintings--the one who looks like there was no need
to arrest and crucify him since he looks like he’s about to starve to death
anyway--this is a good one. If you feel any doubts about handing any of your problems
over to him, if you ever for one second thought there's a problem he can’t
handle, this is the corrective for that.
When John was confronted with this
Jesus, he planted his face to the ground. It was only the words “Don’t be afraid” which
raised his eyes from the dirt after seeing that.
But don’t miss the important point
here. Jesus told him “Don’t be afraid” because of the authority he has. It’s
nice that he cares about us and wants an intimate, personal relationship with
us. But when the world’s falling apart, I need something more than a Best
Friend. I want to be able to hand any
problems I have over to the Jesus of Revelation Chapter One. He’s the First and the
Last, the Living One; he was dead, and now look, he’s alive for ever and ever!
And he holds the keys of death and Hades. Let’s camp out on that for a moment,
shall we? He’s holding the keys of Death and Hades. No one goes into the
realm of death without his say-so. The great fear of mankind, the scourge of
humanity since the Fall? Since his Resurrection, he literally owns it, to do with as he pleases.
So what do I have to be afraid of,
exactly?
“Aslan
is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan.
"I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous
about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said
anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good.”
“If
there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking,
they're either braver than most, or else just silly.” C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Lord Jesus, please forgive me when I give
into fears. You’re bigger than they are, to say the least. Please help me to
trust and obey. If I fear you, then I have absolutely nothing to be afraid of.
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