Revelation is an interesting book. Just making that statement probably fills most of you with worry. You are thinking “Oh dear, what is he going to say. What thing is he going to talk about that probably makes no sense whatsoever.” None the less, it is an interesting book, that is filled with hope for those who believe.
The scripture I want to look at is:
Revelation 5:1-5 ESV > 5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 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.”
Wow. What power. What majesty. The Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered. This statement just fills me with this image of the powerful, roaring Lion of Judah. Too powerful for anyone to stand against. Of course the Lion of Judah can open the scroll. In Him is great power and might against which, nothing can stand! But what I am imagining and what I expect doesn’t fit these next few verses.
Revelation 5:6-10 ESV > 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.
“I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain”. This is not the picture I had of the Lion of Judah. I had imagined this powerful beast in the height of its power and glory, but instead we see a Lamb. And not just a Lamb, but a Lamb that looks like it has been slain. This lamb is probably coated with blood. You can probably see that it was perfect, it was spotless, but it has been killed. And why is this the image of the the Lion of Judah that can open the scroll? Why is this the image of the one who could save us, the one who John weeps for when he thinks that this person cannot be found? Because this is who we need. We needed a sacrificial Lamb. We needed its blood to be spilled as verse 9 says to “ransome us for God”. What we think we need is sometimes different from what we actually need.
The Jews, and even the disciples were the same when Jesus walked among them.
Matthew 21:7-9 ESV > 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
The phrase Hosanna is one we often think about as being some kind of joyful exuberance. However, the word is found originally in Psalm 118:25 which says
Psalm 118:25 ESV > Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!
The phrase “hoshiya na” is where we get hossanna and it is that first part of that verse, “Save us, we pray”. Literrally the two parts, “hoshiya” means save and “na” means something like please. The triumphal entry may be one of joy but what the crows want is someone to save them, please, Jesus save us. They wanted to be saved…some probably wanted to be saved from their sins, but many believe they simply wanted to be saved from Rome. Even the disciples didn’t really understand that their restoration wasn’t a physical one.
Acts 1:6 ESV > 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Even after Jesus had come, died on the cross and risen again, the disciples expected him to rise up and restore the earthly kingdom of Israel. All of Israel expected the “King of the Jews” to come and restore the earthly kingdom and kick out the Roman oppressors.
Thankfully, God doesn’t always give us what we want or what we expect. He gives us what we need. A ruler over Israel wasn’t what we needed. The whole world needed to be saved and restored to a God who loves us. The way that God could do that was through the death of His only Son on the cross. Through the sacrificial Lamb, and not the roaring Lion, our sins were washed away. We come to this time of communion thankful that God gives us what we need, and not what we expect.