Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
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Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4024 | Not Wanting the Shepherd
Greg Williams
Have you ever misheard the lyrics to a song in a way that drastically changed the meaning? Most of us have done this at one time or another, perhaps you even had a favorite song that you only discovered years later that had a very different meaning than what you originally understood?
We have a word for that, it’s called ‘mondegreen’ – a misunderstood or misinterpreted phrase resulting from mishearing the lyrics of a song.
The consequences of mondegreen can be amusing or absurd. The next time you listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival sing Bad Moon on the Rise, instead of singing the song title during the chorus interject “There’s a bathroom on the right,” and you’ll see what I mean.
A colleague of mine shared a mondegreen he had as a child regarding the famous Psalm 23. This didn’t come from mishearing the words, so much as misunderstanding their meaning.
When he heard “The Lord’s my shepherd I shall not want” sung at church, he took it to mean that we shouldn’t want the Lord as our shepherd. Why wouldn’t we want Him as our shepherd you might ask?
Well because he’ll force you to lie down in green pastures all day!
It’s amazing how a glitch on a record, a syllable out of place, or a word changing its meaning over time can totally change how we perceive and understand a piece of music.
Part of the reason my colleague read the words of Psalm 23 in such a negative light, was because in the authoritarian church he grew up in, it made perfect sense to him why someone would not want to follow the judgemental and condemning image of God he had been presented with. He had been taught that God was a strict and demanding shepherd, not at all like the shepherd we read about in the book of Revelation.
In Revelation we are blessed with a glimpse of the end to come, the lamb sits upon the throne, and all are drawn before Him. Using language drawn from Psalm 23 and Isaiah 25 we are told in no uncertain terms what kind of Shepherd he will be:
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
Revelation 7:17
In other words, he is the Good Shepherd.
The truth is that many people do not want the Lord as their shepherd. Often, this is because they have encountered a theological mondegreen. They’ve misheard, misunderstood, or have been deceived when it comes to the truth about God. As far as they’re concerned, there’s nothing good about him.
Without knowing the Good Shepherd, no other scripture, whether psalm, prophet, gospel, or epistle will be understood in its proper context. Without knowing Jesus, the Bible itself becomes an endless series of misheard lyrics drawing us down some theologically dubious rabbit holes.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd under whose care we shall want for nothing, the Shepherd who, filled with love and compassion, will wipe away every tear from our eyes. The Shepherd’s whose voice we will never mishear as He calls us by name.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4024 | Not Wanting the Shepherd
Greg Williams
Have you ever misheard the lyrics to a song in a way that drastically changed the meaning? Most of us have done this at one time or another, perhaps you even had a favorite song that you only discovered years later that had a very different meaning than what you originally understood?
We have a word for that, it’s called ‘mondegreen’ – a misunderstood or misinterpreted phrase resulting from mishearing the lyrics of a song.
The consequences of mondegreen can be amusing or absurd. The next time you listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival sing Bad Moon on the Rise, instead of singing the song title during the chorus interject “There’s a bathroom on the right,” and you’ll see what I mean.
A colleague of mine shared a mondegreen he had as a child regarding the famous Psalm 23. This didn’t come from mishearing the words, so much as misunderstanding their meaning.
When he heard “The Lord’s my shepherd I shall not want” sung at church, he took it to mean that we shouldn’t want the Lord as our shepherd. Why wouldn’t we want Him as our shepherd you might ask?
Well because he’ll force you to lie down in green pastures all day!
It’s amazing how a glitch on a record, a syllable out of place, or a word changing its meaning over time can totally change how we perceive and understand a piece of music.
Part of the reason my colleague read the words of Psalm 23 in such a negative light, was because in the authoritarian church he grew up in, it made perfect sense to him why someone would not want to follow the judgemental and condemning image of God he had been presented with. He had been taught that God was a strict and demanding shepherd, not at all like the shepherd we read about in the book of Revelation.
In Revelation we are blessed with a glimpse of the end to come, the lamb sits upon the throne, and all are drawn before Him. Using language drawn from Psalm 23 and Isaiah 25 we are told in no uncertain terms what kind of Shepherd he will be:
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
Revelation 7:17
In other words, he is the Good Shepherd.
The truth is that many people do not want the Lord as their shepherd. Often, this is because they have encountered a theological mondegreen. They’ve misheard, misunderstood, or have been deceived when it comes to the truth about God. As far as they’re concerned, there’s nothing good about him.
Without knowing the Good Shepherd, no other scripture, whether psalm, prophet, gospel, or epistle will be understood in its proper context. Without knowing Jesus, the Bible itself becomes an endless series of misheard lyrics drawing us down some theologically dubious rabbit holes.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd under whose care we shall want for nothing, the Shepherd who, filled with love and compassion, will wipe away every tear from our eyes. The Shepherd’s whose voice we will never mishear as He calls us by name.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 23:1–6 • Acts 9:36–43 • Revelation 7:9–17 • John 10:22–30
This week’s theme is belonging to the Lord. For our call to worship psalm, we are encouraged to take to heart that the Lord is our shepherd. The reading from Acts recounts the story of the raising of Dorcas whose life was oriented in the same direction as the Lord’s, toward the needs of others. Our reading from Revelation identifies those who are the redeemed of the Lord. The Gospel text in John records Jesus’ assertion that his sheep are those who hear his voice.
How to use this sermon resource.
Who are These, Clothed in White Robes
Revelation 7:9–17 NIV
Today, for our fourth Sunday of the Easter season, we will continue our journey in Revelation with a section from chapter 7. As we did last week, we will want to fill in some gaps that are left between last week’s reading and this week’s lectionary selection.
Last week we followed up on John’s panoramic vision of God’s throne room and observed the central act of worship that was being offered by three concentric circles of worshipers: the twenty-four elders, the four creatures, and the multitude of angels. We took note that the first two circles were praising the Father. And with the addition of the angels, this same worship was attributed to Jesus, the One who was found worthy to open the scroll. After this, another circle was added that was made up of “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them” (Revelation 5:13).
What we were not able to cover was Jesus opening the scroll after this scene of the throne room. Jesus opens the first six seals which contain the image of four horsemen who were allowed to wreak havoc upon the earth, an image of martyred saints, and a great earthquake along with some heavenly signs. Before Jesus opens the seventh seal, we encounter an interlude which is comprised of two visions. The first relates to the divine protection given to the 144,000 made up of the tribes of Israel. The second vision relates to a vast multitude of people forming another circle around the throne. It is this second vision that makes up the subject of our text today.
An important thing to note in this context is that our vision of the 144,000 and the vast multitude fall between the apocalyptic images of judgement. These images can be quite disturbing and paint a pretty dismal picture. However, we can find encouragement because we know the One who was found worthy to open the scroll. This does not mean Jesus is sending or causing the events that proceed from the opening of each seal. Rather, Jesus is seen as allowing these events to occur. The picture conveys that Jesus is in control all the way through. He is not allowing anything beyond his redeeming love. He is still in charge, and nothing is allowed that would hinder his good purposes for us. This is the encouragement we can find in Revelation — even in the hard-to-read sections. All the ugly manifestations taking place can be understood as the evil one and his minions reacting to Jesus. Jesus is on the move to establish his kingdom, and the devil is doing his worse out of a desperate last gasp of vile hatred towards the One who defeated him. It is after the opening of the first six seals and this evil response that follows that brings us to our text today.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9–10 NIV
A question may come up for us regarding this “great multitude” that John is showing us. Is this multitude part of the circle of worshipers from last week in chapter 5, where “every creature in heaven and on earth” were praising the Father and the Son? Also, are we to see the 144,000 listed by Israel’s tribes in John’s first vision just preceding this one as part of this multitude? In short, most scholars believe that these are separate visions of the same thing just with different focuses. Each vision helps to answer the question of who makes up this multitude. That very question will be where John takes us in this section. So, as we move along, we can be looking for answers to who these people are.
For starters, the preceding vision regarding the 144,000 is not a separate group. What is conveyed by this vision lies with the fact that they are numbered. Using the tribes of Israel for the numbering, we are to be reminded that Israel was numbered for the purpose of going to battle. What we are to see in this vision is the fact that God’s people receive divine protection from God’s wrath. However, they are still called into battle against the evil forces of the world. They are not swooped away from the “tribulation.”
The word “tribulation” unfortunately has created much confusion on what John is trying to say. We must make a distinction between “tribulation” and God’s “wrath.” God’s wrath is reserved for those who refuse to receive God’s grace. They are the ones who will not respond in repentance, no matter how bad the consequences of rejecting God’s grace get. They still prefer to be their own rulers rather than come under the loving reign of King Jesus. And God’s wrath is not to be understood as some arbitrary and punitive action of God towards those who reject him. It is the natural consequence of rejecting the reality they are created for. To reject Jesus, the author of life, is to reject their own source of being and, therefore, to undo themself. That is what is meant by God’s wrath. He will not cease being against that which is against them, or us.
“Tribulation” on the other hand is the suffering that the servants of God undergo because of their faith and devotion to this same King. Remember, John is writing to the seven churches and preparing them for an escalation of persecution. With these two visions, he is able to reassure them that no matter how bad the persecution gets, they are already brought into the salvation that fully awaits them on account of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Roman empire cannot touch time or snatch them from Jesus’ hand. But this does not mean that they, and we as well, don’t all at times participate in the same sufferings of our Lord, who was crucified at the hands of those who rejected him. John is also preparing them for the spiritual battle they would soon face.
The second vision in our passage today shifts from the 144,000 being numbered for battle by highlighting that the multitude was so great “that no one could count …” With this turn, John is going to help us see a little more of what it means to belong to the Lord. And if the Book of Revelation strikes you as pessimistic and doom and gloom, perhaps this vision can challenge that notion a bit. Notice, John is not seeing a small band of followers who barely escape God’s wrath. This “great multitude” language echoes the promise God made to Abraham that he would make his descendants “as numerous as the stars in the sky” and that through Abraham’s offspring “all nations on earth will be blessed.” God is not trying to keep people out of his kingdom. His grace is for all. However, he does not force people to receive him, as that would undermine the very life of relationship we are being called into. But he does keep his promises, and according to John’s description, it seems the population of the kingdom will be great indeed.
We should also take note that this multitude was made of people “from every nation, tribe, people and language.” We shouldn’t make too much out of these labels or the order they are in except to note that no one is disqualified to enter God’s throne room on account of their race, heritage, or any other proper distinctions that make up the human race. The things we so often use to separate people and draw lines of division will not be barriers for the Lord. The only thing that disqualifies anyone from entering the kingdom is their rejection of the grace of God. As we will see in a couple weeks, the gates to this city remain wide open. No one is shut out who wants to be in.
We can also note that this multitude is “standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” This conveys that they are at home in God’s presence. That is what they, and we, were created for and redeemed for. Being in God’s presence was what God had in mind from the very beginning. That is their, and our, true home where they, and we, are truly human and truly free. Not only are these servants the ones “who could withstand the great day of divine wrath” (Revelation 6:17), but they are the ones who are in the end, “standing before the throne” in God’s presence.
We will take note of the reference to “wearing white robes” in a moment. But here we also see that they “were holding palm branches in their hands.” This is an image of victory. And notice that they are crying out “in a loud voice”:
Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.
They are no longer crying out to be saved or delivered from persecution. Their cries for salvation are turned to shouts of praise for the salvation that has been secured in Jesus the Lamb. It was an encouraging reminder to the seven churches undergoing persecution to know that their prayers for deliverance would one day be answered. We too are reminded that we can come to throne with confidence, knowing the Lord hears our cries for deliverance and intends to turn those cries into shouts of praise. He has and will save us completely in the end.
Let’s see how John continues his vision:
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Revelation 7:11–12 NIV
This portion revisits the scenes of the throne room as displayed in chapter 4 and 5. Clearly, worship is the atmosphere of heaven. We discussed last week to some degree what worship is. If you remember, worship is not something we work up to get God’s attention. We worship because our attention has been turned to see God for who he really is. In that revelation, worship is drawn out of us as the only fitting response to being in the presence of one who is worthy of all worship. Like standing in view of an amazing waterfall, we can’t help ourselves not to say, “Ah and Ooh!” That is a very tiny example of what it will be like to worship in the presence of God.
John escalates the scene of worship to set up another revelation that will come by way of a direct question. This is the question we have already been wrestling with to some degree — who is this multitude?
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:13–14 NIV)
John sets this up where the elder ends up answering his own question. And there are two questions that are answered — who are they and where did they come from?
The first answer is meant to be a word of assurance to the seven churches who are currently going through persecution that John prophetically sees as getting worse. The ones who are gathered in worship in God’s presence are those who “have come out of the great tribulation.” Again, John seems to use “tribulation” here to mean the suffering the seven churches are going through on account of their faith in Christ. They are assured that they will “come out” of it and that it is leading to something beautiful regarding their identity as those dwelling in the presence of God. Tribulations can serve the purpose of sanctification for all of us. As we put our trust in the Lord, and then that trust is challenged by tribulation, we come out on the other side trusting the Lord a little more, as we come to see him present and active in the middle of it. As we go through our own personal tribulations, we too can grow up more and more into knowing and trusting the Lord, who is revealing himself to us during our times of suffering. He does not abandon us. And he is redeeming our present sufferings, to make us into the people who will be gathered around the throne in worship.
The second answer revisits the images of being clothed in “white robes.” They are the ones who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This is an odd metaphor for our ears. Blood can neither wash nor make something white. So, what does John mean by this picture? In the context of tribulation and suffering, “blood” is an obvious reference to the blood of Christ, the One who has saved us by going through his own “tribulation” of living as the Incarnate One in our flesh and blood, all the way to death on a cross.
It is on account of Jesus’ triumph and “coming out” the other side of death in the resurrection that we have the basis and assurance that we too will come out of our tribulation, having a share in Christ’s victory through resurrection. No matter what we go through, on the other side, our robes will be white. Nothing that befalls us will mar or stain us in the end. That may be hard to fathom this side of heaven. But we can trust again that the Lord does not allow anything he will not redeem. No matter what our loss, pain, and suffering as we live faithfully following the Lord, especially into tribulation, nothing will be lost or tarnished. The Lord will restore all.
John concludes by further explaining that very promise held out to us in Jesus:
Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:15–17 NIV
We can take note of three overall descriptions of what it entails to wear white robes around the throne.
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- There will be unceasing worship of the triune God. There will be no hindrances of worshiping God. Which means we will see and know him fully in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Serving God “day and night in his temple” will not be boring drudgery. This Lord is not like the rulers of our day who seek to “lord it over us.” Our times of tribulation teach us that serving the rulers, including serving ourselves, in this present evil age is a curse of working by “the sweat of our brow.” We are made to serve the Lord, a service that sets us free to be about our Father’s business of enjoying him forever.
- We will never be deprived. Using hunger, thirst, and heat, John lets us know that we will have all that we need and more. The images take us beyond merely our physical needs being met to convey to us that all we need for life and vibrancy will be provided with no threat of harm coming to us ever again. How wonderful!
- The Lamb will be our Shepherd. That’s an image that certainly challenges understanding our relationship with Jesus on our typical human terms. How does a lamb become a shepherd? The point being pressed is a reference to Psalm 23, which is one of our lectionary readings for today. The blessings of having the Lord Jesus as our shepherd is beyond comprehension. But we are assured that he will lead us to abundant and overflowing life.
Clearly, John has given us images and conflicting metaphors that force us to engage our imaginations to the breaking point in order to begin scratching the surface of what it will be like to be one of the multitude wearing white robes. You may want to take some time to pour over these descriptions, as well as Psalm 23, in order to meditate deeply on how good our God is and what blessings and joys he has in store for us. The resurrection is so important that we celebrate it for an entire season during Easter. No matter what “tribulation” comes our way, in the end, it will all be worth it and it will add up to a vision beyond imagination. Whatever particular tribulation you may be facing, our text today encourages us to remain steadfast in trusting the Lord. He will see us through in such a way as to redeem all that is lost. Perhaps during these troubled times, a rereading of Revelation is a timely investment for sure. There is much encouragement for us to press on and remain faithful to the one who faithfully leads us to “springs of living water.” Amen!
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 4
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR062-Blumhofer-YearC-Easter4.mp3
May 11, 2025 — Fourth Sunday in Easter
Revelation 7:9-17
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Program Transcript
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 4
Anthony: Alright, let’s transition to our next text. It is Revelation 7:9–17. It is the Revised Common Lectionary passage for the fourth Sunday in Easter, which is May 11. Chris, would you read it for us please?
Chris: Yes. Happy to do it.
After this, I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb.” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from? I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more and thirst no more. The sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. And he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Anthony: There’s a lot going on in this text, and so we would really appreciate your exegetical overview of what you’re seeing in this text.
Chris: Sure. Whenever a passage starts with the words after this, my reflex is to scroll up the page a little bit.
Anthony: Sure.
Chris: So, we have to see its context as always. And again, this can be intimidating in Revelation because you get this kind of nice, clear, encouraging scenes, and you get worried that if you go one paragraph up or down, you’re just going to be in the deep end all of a sudden. But it is worth it.
So, where we are is in chapter 7. We’re in this interlude. We’re still in the opening of the seals, but we’re in this interlude with the seals. And history is unfolding as the seals are broken, and as each seal is broken, the suffering on the earth has increased across chapter 6. And here at chapter 7, we are on the cusp of the seventh seal being opened now.
In fact, chapter 6 ends with the most powerful people on earth crying out to the rocks and saying, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” So, this is the expectation coming into chapter 7, and we might justly expect that we’re about to hear about the worst suffering of all.
But what we get at the beginning of chapter 7 is this pause in the action while the angel puts a seal on the forehead of the servants of God, and in the paragraph right before this, 144,000 people are sealed from Israel. That’s symbolic of the fullness of the people of God. And then our vision begins.
And the question, who can stand in the face of God’s judgment, is answered here. That was a question at the end of chapter 6. Who can stand? There’s a great multitude that no one could count, from all these tribes, peoples, languages, and nations standing before the throne. That’s the answer to the question.
Who can stand? This multitude is able to stand before the throne in worship. The God who judges is also the God who heals. And in this scene, we’re seeing that the nations are indeed coming to him and can stand in his presence. It’s interesting that this is something that the most powerful people on earth — it’s unintelligible to them. They’re unaware of it. But John can see it because he can recognize something else with those glasses on. They cry out with this verse that has become a great praise song, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and unto the Lamb.” And everyone sings back in response to them.
And then John asks about the identity of these people. So, I want to ask a couple of questions about the details here. I always think that texts get more interesting when we ask about their details, so they’ve all come out of this great ordeal. That’s an interesting phrase. We actually hear about the great ordeal or a great tribulation in the book of Daniel.
We hear about it also at the little apocalypse in the Gospel of Matthew 24. And the idea is that there will be a period of great upheaval, of war, of scarcity, a great increase in immorality and injustice right at the time where the age is about to be redeemed by God. That’s what John hears, that the people who stand before him are those who have come through the great tribulation.
Actually, that’s a very similar phrase to how Jesus speaks about it in Matthew 24. You’re looking at the people who have come through this tribulation and they’ve come through the ordeal by washing their clothes white in the blood of the Lamb. There’s so much here.
First, this is an image of faithful witness and identification with Jesus. These are the ones who have washed their life in the blood of Jesus. And that could mean that they’re the ones who have come through the tribulation, because they’ve been killed for their faithful witness — kind of dying in faithfulness and in continuity with Jesus’ own faithful life. Or that they have identified with him, not necessarily dying, but they have managed to persevere because of their faith and the example of Jesus.
Either way, these are Jesus’ people. They belong to him completely. In Genesis 49, we get this great picture of the lion of the tribe of Judah, or Judah as a lion, and it says that he will wash his robe in the blood of grapes. And John takes that image from Genesis here. He twists it a little bit, and here the people of the Lamb wash in his blood, but instead of being stained, they’re purified by that blood.
Blood is a purifying agent in the book of Revelation here, which is really a fascinating rethinking of that imagery here. And as John continues to tell us about these people, we see, he sums up for us their life before God. Because they’ve identified themselves with Jesus, they live fearlessly in the presence of God and before the throne of God.
It’s not a throne of judgment for them. It’s a comforting place. They have that seal on their forehead. Now, later in Revelation, the beast will put a seal on the foreheads of the people who serve him. It’ll be a kind of condition for membership to have the seal of the beast. But here God gives his own seal, and it is not one that is exclusive or punishing but is one that is protective.
They live in this existence defined by God’s mercy — endless light, no hunger or thirst, no deprivation here. And where God is wiping away the tears from their eyes. Beautifully, strangely, the Lamb is their shepherd here. John is pulling on all these images to renew our imaginations about the fullness and the peacefulness of their life before him.
So, I’d want to open up a lot of these things. Maybe I’d also add the whole thing is suffused with a sense of victory. It’s celebration.
Anthony: Yes.
Chris: They’re dressed in white. They’re holding palm branches, which were pretty common symbol of victory in the ancient world, in both in Judaism and also in the broader Greco-Roman world. And they’re not hailing Caesar as their victor here. They’re hailing the Lamb, but there’s this sense of celebration. It’s like Palm Sunday, part two, where everyone has gone through the tribulation and has been brought to this celebration.
Anthony: You mentioned it earlier that John brings us to a few twists in Revelation. He helps us to reimagine what is. And I find verse 17 interesting because of the inversion that we see that the Lamb is actually the shepherd, and it’s usually the other way around. Can you tell us a little bit more about this?
Chris: It’s an amazing picture, that the One who has gone before us and come out the other side, the One who has conquered death and overcome judgment, he’s now our leader. And it’s so fitting. It actually fits with a great deal of New Testament imagery for Jesus as the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. He’s the leader of this new family. He’s the Son of God, but we are brothers and sisters of him. Our elder brother goes before us.
John takes that and in a way that highlights the martyrdom of Jesus and the martyrdom of his people in this book. The Lamb, the slain Lamb, shepherds the people of God, the people of God who are under duress, who are persecuted. And know that, firsthand, these people whose lives are so awful right now, John sees them in peace, having come through the tribulation with the One who has gone through it before them on their behalf.
Anthony: As I’m thinking about Jesus and the inauguration of eschatology, the end, we need to know that there is something to look forward to in the midst of suffering. And I think John has given us such a vivid picture of what will be the eschaton that God is caring well for his people.
Chris: Yeah.
Anthony: Hallelujah. Praise him that we have this vision of what will be as we try to live into that in the here and now, right? So, thank you for that.
Program Transcript
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 4
Anthony: Alright, let’s transition to our next text. It is Revelation 7:9–17. It is the Revised Common Lectionary passage for the fourth Sunday in Easter, which is May 11. Chris, would you read it for us please?
Chris: Yes. Happy to do it.
After this, I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb.” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from? I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more and thirst no more. The sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. And he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Anthony: There’s a lot going on in this text, and so we would really appreciate your exegetical overview of what you’re seeing in this text.
Chris: Sure. Whenever a passage starts with the words after this, my reflex is to scroll up the page a little bit.
Anthony: Sure.
Chris: So, we have to see its context as always. And again, this can be intimidating in Revelation because you get this kind of nice, clear, encouraging scenes, and you get worried that if you go one paragraph up or down, you’re just going to be in the deep end all of a sudden. But it is worth it.
So, where we are is in chapter 7. We’re in this interlude. We’re still in the opening of the seals, but we’re in this interlude with the seals. And history is unfolding as the seals are broken, and as each seal is broken, the suffering on the earth has increased across chapter 6. And here at chapter 7, we are on the cusp of the seventh seal being opened now.
In fact, chapter 6 ends with the most powerful people on earth crying out to the rocks and saying, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” So, this is the expectation coming into chapter 7, and we might justly expect that we’re about to hear about the worst suffering of all.
But what we get at the beginning of chapter 7 is this pause in the action while the angel puts a seal on the forehead of the servants of God, and in the paragraph right before this, 144,000 people are sealed from Israel. That’s symbolic of the fullness of the people of God. And then our vision begins.
And the question, who can stand in the face of God’s judgment, is answered here. That was a question at the end of chapter 6. Who can stand? There’s a great multitude that no one could count, from all these tribes, peoples, languages, and nations standing before the throne. That’s the answer to the question.
Who can stand? This multitude is able to stand before the throne in worship. The God who judges is also the God who heals. And in this scene, we’re seeing that the nations are indeed coming to him and can stand in his presence. It’s interesting that this is something that the most powerful people on earth — it’s unintelligible to them. They’re unaware of it. But John can see it because he can recognize something else with those glasses on. They cry out with this verse that has become a great praise song, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and unto the Lamb.” And everyone sings back in response to them.
And then John asks about the identity of these people. So, I want to ask a couple of questions about the details here. I always think that texts get more interesting when we ask about their details, so they’ve all come out of this great ordeal. That’s an interesting phrase. We actually hear about the great ordeal or a great tribulation in the book of Daniel.
We hear about it also at the little apocalypse in the Gospel of Matthew 24. And the idea is that there will be a period of great upheaval, of war, of scarcity, a great increase in immorality and injustice right at the time where the age is about to be redeemed by God. That’s what John hears, that the people who stand before him are those who have come through the great tribulation.
Actually, that’s a very similar phrase to how Jesus speaks about it in Matthew 24. You’re looking at the people who have come through this tribulation and they’ve come through the ordeal by washing their clothes white in the blood of the Lamb. There’s so much here.
First, this is an image of faithful witness and identification with Jesus. These are the ones who have washed their life in the blood of Jesus. And that could mean that they’re the ones who have come through the tribulation, because they’ve been killed for their faithful witness — kind of dying in faithfulness and in continuity with Jesus’ own faithful life. Or that they have identified with him, not necessarily dying, but they have managed to persevere because of their faith and the example of Jesus.
Either way, these are Jesus’ people. They belong to him completely. In Genesis 49, we get this great picture of the lion of the tribe of Judah, or Judah as a lion, and it says that he will wash his robe in the blood of grapes. And John takes that image from Genesis here. He twists it a little bit, and here the people of the Lamb wash in his blood, but instead of being stained, they’re purified by that blood.
Blood is a purifying agent in the book of Revelation here, which is really a fascinating rethinking of that imagery here. And as John continues to tell us about these people, we see, he sums up for us their life before God. Because they’ve identified themselves with Jesus, they live fearlessly in the presence of God and before the throne of God.
It’s not a throne of judgment for them. It’s a comforting place. They have that seal on their forehead. Now, later in Revelation, the beast will put a seal on the foreheads of the people who serve him. It’ll be a kind of condition for membership to have the seal of the beast. But here God gives his own seal, and it is not one that is exclusive or punishing but is one that is protective.
They live in this existence defined by God’s mercy — endless light, no hunger or thirst, no deprivation here. And where God is wiping away the tears from their eyes. Beautifully, strangely, the Lamb is their shepherd here. John is pulling on all these images to renew our imaginations about the fullness and the peacefulness of their life before him.
So, I’d want to open up a lot of these things. Maybe I’d also add the whole thing is suffused with a sense of victory. It’s celebration.
Anthony: Yes.
Chris: They’re dressed in white. They’re holding palm branches, which were pretty common symbol of victory in the ancient world, in both in Judaism and also in the broader Greco-Roman world. And they’re not hailing Caesar as their victor here. They’re hailing the Lamb, but there’s this sense of celebration. It’s like Palm Sunday, part two, where everyone has gone through the tribulation and has been brought to this celebration.
Anthony: You mentioned it earlier that John brings us to a few twists in Revelation. He helps us to reimagine what is. And I find verse 17 interesting because of the inversion that we see that the Lamb is actually the shepherd, and it’s usually the other way around. Can you tell us a little bit more about this?
Chris: It’s an amazing picture, that the One who has gone before us and come out the other side, the One who has conquered death and overcome judgment, he’s now our leader. And it’s so fitting. It actually fits with a great deal of New Testament imagery for Jesus as the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. He’s the leader of this new family. He’s the Son of God, but we are brothers and sisters of him. Our elder brother goes before us.
John takes that and in a way that highlights the martyrdom of Jesus and the martyrdom of his people in this book. The Lamb, the slain Lamb, shepherds the people of God, the people of God who are under duress, who are persecuted. And know that, firsthand, these people whose lives are so awful right now, John sees them in peace, having come through the tribulation with the One who has gone through it before them on their behalf.
Anthony: As I’m thinking about Jesus and the inauguration of eschatology, the end, we need to know that there is something to look forward to in the midst of suffering. And I think John has given us such a vivid picture of what will be the eschaton that God is caring well for his people.
Chris: Yeah.
Anthony: Hallelujah. Praise him that we have this vision of what will be as we try to live into that in the here and now, right? So, thank you for that.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- How would you describe the difference between “wrath” and “tribulation” as discussed in the sermon?
- Do you tend to read the Book of Revelation pessimistically or optimistically? Why? And did the “multitude” around the throne give you a more positive and encouraging approach to the book?
- What are some ways we draw lines between “who is in and who is out” concerning the kingdom that this passage guards against? What is the only thing that would disqualify someone from not being in the kingdom?
- What was most comforting, encouraging, assuring, or exciting about what it means to be counted among the ones who wear white robes around the throne?
- Were there other images or metaphors in the passage that spoke to you that you would like to share?
