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.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHP8drSdwqg
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4026 | Don’t Settle for Less
Greg Williams
Have you ever settled for less in your relationships? Healthy relationships don’t come easy and there is always a temptation to avoid the hard work they require. So, when there’s conflict, we may opt to settle for “agreeing to disagree” instead of working through the painful process that leads to reconciliation and peace. Or, we might opt to settle for shallow relationships that do not require the continual investment that deep ones demand. Whenever we settle for less in our relationships, we rob ourselves of the joy they can bring.
What about our relationship with God? How much joy do we abandon when we settle for less in our relationship with the Lord? Why would we settle when there is so much to gain?
C.S. Lewis provides some insight to answer that question. He says, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Thankfully, our Lord is not so easily pleased when it comes to relationships. He aims to continually bring us into the deeper waters of our relationship with him. He has already done the hard work of reconciliation so we can now, by the Spirit, participate in the joyous relationship the Son and his Father share. And when we are tempted to settle, Jesus never will. Because of his strong and unshakable desire to be with us, we can continually seek to know him with all our heart, soul, and strength.
Listen to this Psalm and the joy expressed that comes in knowing the Lord, not just for us, but for the entire world.
“May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.”
Psalm 67:1-7 (NRSV)
The word “selah” is like an intermission – a pause to consider what was just said or sang. David wants you and I to pause and consider the truth that the Lord’s face is shining on you today, bringing more joy and blessing than you can possibly imagine. I encourage you to turn to him to enjoy the relationship he desires to give you. Why settle for anything less?
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4026 | Don’t Settle for Less
Greg Williams
Have you ever settled for less in your relationships? Healthy relationships don’t come easy and there is always a temptation to avoid the hard work they require. So, when there’s conflict, we may opt to settle for “agreeing to disagree” instead of working through the painful process that leads to reconciliation and peace. Or, we might opt to settle for shallow relationships that do not require the continual investment that deep ones demand. Whenever we settle for less in our relationships, we rob ourselves of the joy they can bring.
What about our relationship with God? How much joy do we abandon when we settle for less in our relationship with the Lord? Why would we settle when there is so much to gain?
C.S. Lewis provides some insight to answer that question. He says, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Thankfully, our Lord is not so easily pleased when it comes to relationships. He aims to continually bring us into the deeper waters of our relationship with him. He has already done the hard work of reconciliation so we can now, by the Spirit, participate in the joyous relationship the Son and his Father share. And when we are tempted to settle, Jesus never will. Because of his strong and unshakable desire to be with us, we can continually seek to know him with all our heart, soul, and strength.
Listen to this Psalm and the joy expressed that comes in knowing the Lord, not just for us, but for the entire world.
“May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.”
Psalm 67:1-7 (NRSV)
The word “selah” is like an intermission – a pause to consider what was just said or sang. David wants you and I to pause and consider the truth that the Lord’s face is shining on you today, bringing more joy and blessing than you can possibly imagine. I encourage you to turn to him to enjoy the relationship he desires to give you. Why settle for anything less?
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 67:1–7 • Acts 16:9–15 • Revelation 21:10, 22–27, 22:1–5 • John 14:23–29
This week’s theme is the blessing of God’s presence. Our call to worship psalm calls for praise from all peoples and nations for the blessing of God’s rule. The reading from Acts recounts the story of Paul being called to Macedonia, which resulted in the conversion of Lydia, the seller of purple from Thyatira, who became a blessing for Paul’s mission. Our reading from Revelation presents the magnificent vision of the new Jerusalem, where the nations are blessed and glorify God. In the first Gospel reading from John, Jesus speaks of the Father’s love that seeks to abide with his people.
How to use this sermon resource.
The new Jerusalem
Revelation 21:10, 22–27, 22:1–5 NIV
Today, for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, we have our final visit to John’s apocalyptic vision in the Book of Revelation, written down for the seven churches and passed on to us. Today’s stop will be the second vision of the new Jerusalem, to round out last week’s first vision of the new heaven and new earth.
Let us begin.
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. Revelation 21:10 NIV
It’s significant that the first thing we are shown concerning the new heaven and new earth is a restored Jerusalem. John’s vision of the new Jerusalem starts from a vantage point, high above, where every aspect of the city can be observed. From this vantage point, John will see the restoration of every part of Jerusalem except for one — the temple. We will get to that when we get to the main portion of our lectionary passage today.
But first, we can take note that John’s vision of the city covers three aspects. First, it observes the physical description of the city, which we will not be covering today. There is a lot to unpack in that physical description, and you may want to go back and read through verses 11–21. Second, the vision shows us the character of the city in verses 22–27, which we will look at next. Third, we are given a vision of the city as a restored garden of Eden in the first five verses of chapter 22 which will conclude our passage for today.
Before we move into John’s vision of the character of the new Jerusalem, we should take note of the grace of God that carried John “away in the Spirit.” The Spirit showed John a deeper picture of God’s reality established in Jesus Christ, that would otherwise remain hidden from us. God is not trying to hide his purposes from us. The vision John was given is passed on to us so we will not be ignorant of what God has done, is continually doing, and will ultimately bring to consummation (or ultimate ending) in Jesus Christ. The new Jerusalem is a picture of that reality told in such a way as to convey more than mere words ever could.
As we will see today, God is not only showing us where he is taking all of creation, and what he is calling us into, but he is also showing us that this was his plan all along. By returning to images of the garden of Eden, this vision shows us that God has always intended to be with his people. He is a God revealed as triune, a God who has known perfect and holy relationship as Father, Son, Spirit for all eternity. It is this God who created the cosmos with us in it. His purposes align with his character. He is not a God who chooses to be aloof or distant from his creatures, even in the face of the fall. In the fall, humanity turned from God and chose a path of self-reliance, trusting in ourselves over the trustworthy God who created us. In spite of the fall, God did not abandon his plan to be with us.
Much of Revelation captures the cataclysmic consequences of resisting God’s grace and being our own lords and bosses. If there’s one thing history clearly proves, it’s the fact that we do not make very good gods. Left to ourselves without God’s intervention, we would inevitably destroy ourselves and return to nonexistence. We were never intended to become gods. That was the lie in the garden that distorted the truth of who God created us to be. So, we can begin this passage with thankfulness that our God does not keep secrets from his people. He has found a way to show us things that our fallen minds can barely comprehend.
Now, let’s start unpacking the revelation the new Jerusalem gives us.
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. Revelation 21:22–23 NIV
The most startling observation comes to us in the first statement that John “did not see a temple in the city.” How can that be? So much of our discussion over the past few weeks, grounded in the images of the throne room, is concerned with worship. You would think the temple, which is the place of worship in Jerusalem, would feature prominently in the new Jerusalem. But instead, it’s the one thing that is conspicuously absent, and its absence is the first thing we are shown. But we are immediately told why: “because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”
This may remind us that when Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days,” Jesus was referring to himself and his resurrection. And now we see Jesus’ words coming to fruition in this vision. We will not need a place of worship or an intermediary between God and ourselves for worship. His presence removes any need for such structures, or otherwise, that serve as temples. The absence of the temple is meant to emphasize the presence of the Lord. That would have been a striking omission for the seven churches, first readers of this vision of the new Jerusalem.
We are also to see that the glory of God and the Lamb provide the light for the city. All that is good and true in God will be seen, and everything else will be seen in that light. There will be no dark corner or shadowy secret lurking in this city. How wonderful it will be to walk in such light! And of course, the focus of the temple and the light is on God and the Lamb. That’s the central reality that makes this city new.
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Revelation 21:24–26 NIV
The reference to “nations” does not refer to nation states, but rather to all people, in addition to the Jews. This serves as a fulfillment of God’s intentions to save the whole world, not just a few chosen people. He may have started with a chosen people, but that was to serve the purpose of choosing all. Even the “kings of the earth” will choose to bring to the city any glory they may have in order to glorify God.
Can you imagine a world where no one is seeking to promote their own glory and fame? A world where all is done to the glory of God? That would be a wonderful reality for sure. Also notice that the gates will always remain open, namely because “there will be no night there.” Because darkness or the night typically brings more danger, that’s a symbolic way of saying there will be no threat to this city. Gates were closed at night to prevent threats from entering in. We typically lock our doors at night for the same reason. Imagine a world where there will be no need to set up defenses or protections against dangers and threats. How much of our peace is robbed in the mental and physical work of protecting and securing what we have? That will not be an issue in the new Jerusalem. Praise God!
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:27 NIV
In this picture, the open gates are no concern as we are told that nothing impure, shameful, or deceitful will ever enter the city. The gates can remain open because those who would rather worship and glorify impurity, shame, and lies will have no desire to take up residence in this city. Those things will be completely out of place. Can you imagine society devoid of these things? I think it would be hard to calculate all the implications that would occur in a world that did not operate with all the impurity we see on blatant display in our world. Imagine a world without selfishness, hate, violence, or greed.
Imagine a world without shame. There will be nothing that makes our head bow down other than worship of the one who has taken all our shame and destroyed it forever.
And can you possibly imagine a world that operates by truth and not lies? How much of our world is spinning on lies and propaganda? It’s hard to know what to believe anymore. But in the new Jerusalem, Jesus, who is the truth, will permeate every aspect of life.
Again, these things are hard to imagine, considering how much we swim in a river polluted by impurities, shame, and deceit. And that’s why all these images give us a push to dream towards this reality. It’s a huge exercise that builds our hope.
We are told that the new Jerusalem will only be populated by those “whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” We probably should say a few words about what that means and what it does not mean.
The names written in the Lamb’s book of life is not God making an arbitrary list of names of who is in and who is out. Jesus Christ, who lived and died for all, is the Lamb — it’s his book. Now, we can decide we don’t want to be on that list; we can refuse God’s offer of grace and a relationship. The best part of living in the new Jerusalem is being in the presence of God. If we don’t want anything to do with God, then we will not want to be in the new Jerusalem, or heaven or kingdom, whatever label you prefer.
God will not force us against our will. However, he will continue to call us to himself, to woo us, and win us over with his love and grace. He never gives up on us, even when we give up on him. The gates remain open. That is his character that we see revealed in Jesus Christ. And that will be the character of this city that “comes down out of heaven from God.”
Let’s continue with John’s vision of the city as a restored garden of Eden.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1–5 NIV
This final description clearly carries a lot of overtones of the garden of Eden. In using this imagery, John connects God’s purposes and promises in the beginning to their fulfillment in the end. God is faithful to his word to us. He keeps his promises, and he brings us into the reality of being in his presence. There are some beautiful pictures of what living in God’s presence will be like.
For starters, it is likened to a “river of the water of life.” This water is also pure and life sustaining. Life will not be stagnated or polluted. It is flowing with life as the central reality of the city. That’s what God is all about — life! He is not a god of death. If there is anything these final verses convey, it is that life will be abundant and overflowing because the Source of life is on the throne.
Notice the image of life that comes from this flowing river that reminds us of the garden of Eden. The tree of life is on both sides of the river. Again, that is an image that does not make a lot of sense if we take it literally. A single tree can’t be on two sides of a river. The point seems to be that the river will bring fruitfulness throughout the city. This fruitfulness is conveyed as “twelve crops of fruit” that bears its fruit in season. This is a picture of complete fruitfulness, yet not a stagnant or bland fruitfulness. There will still be seasons that bring their own fruit. This is a beautiful picture of the diversity and immense variety that will constantly be springing up in the city. We do not have to fear boredom. Life will be full and ever exciting and delicious.
“No longer will there be any curse” (Revelation 22:3). This is a clear reference to the curse from the first garden; it will be removed. The primary curse that is “no longer” is the alienation between God and his creatures. God’s throne, and therefore, righteous reign will be established and there will be no opposition to it. All the inhabitants will “see his face” and gladly be counted as belonging to him. They will know that this God is for them, and he is trustworthy. No one will feel like hiding behind bushes. Their joy will be in knowing the Father and the Lamb. And for good measure John closes the vision by restating that God will be the light of the city.
The very last sentence claims that those in the city “will reign for ever and ever.” That is quite the conclusion, especially when we consider that even “reigning” in the kingdom will not be the type of “reigning” that we are accustomed to in our day. We will be reigning with the Lord, and therefore all authority that we are given and we exercise will contribute to the life we are made for. In short, we will be blessed to be a blessing. This was God’s intention from the very beginning.
Now that we have concluded our journey with John in these selected passages in Revelation, we can see even more why we choose the Easter season as a high time of worship. This is the blessed life we are created for. This may be an amazing picture of our future that fuels our hope. However, it is also meant to fuel our living into the kingdom today. Jesus’ reign has already commenced and so can our reign with him. We can begin reigning each day as we participate in bringing life throughout the “cities” and “gardens” we find ourselves in. This will mean we will not choose the side of death. We will always choose to be on the side of life, contributing to all that is humanizing and dignifying. We will not abdicate our “thrones” with any impure, shameful, or deceitful ways. We will stand for life, overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21). And through it all we will continue to receive from the Lord the grace he has for us. In this way, we can point others to the wide-open gates into the new Jerusalem. Amen!
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 6
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR062-Blumhofer-YearC-Easter6.mp3
May 25, 2025 — Sixth Sunday in Easter
Revelation 21:10, 22-2
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Program Transcript
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 6
Anthony: Let’s transition to our final text of the month. It is Revelation 21:10, and 22:1–five. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the sixth Sunday in Easter, which is May 25. Chris, we’d be grateful if you’d read it for us, please.
Chris: I’d love to.
And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. … Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its 12 kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Anthony: Hallelujah. I think sometimes we make the mistake in biblical interpretation, asking the texts, what does this tell me about me or what I’m supposed to do? And I think the first course of action is to find, what does the text reveal about who God is? So, can you help us with that? What do these scriptures reveal about who God is and what we can anticipate?
Chris: Well, it’s a great instinct and a great question, Anthony. In a narcissistic age, we might actually think it is all about us. But it’s actually not. This passage — like so much of Revelation, but again, the details are important — this passage teaches, insists on the fact, that God intends this restoration for us, for his creation. It is the will of God, and it is joined to the character of God for this to be the future of the world.
And this is meant to be for us, as the hymn says, “a strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” This is God’s commitment. It’s not based on us. Or, if one of those seven churches, beginning of Revelation, decides to throw in the towel and quit, this is still going to happen. God is more faithful than we are.
As we look at the details of the passage and what or how God’s commitment to restoration plays out, we see a lot of the Old Testament caught up in this passage. But especially Genesis.
I would encourage anyone who’s studying this passage, go back and read, especially Genesis two and three. Let your imagination kind of work in the resonance between these two passages. In Revelation, we get almost a kind of urban garden. There’s a river running right through it, just like the Garden of Eden. There’s a tree of life, which we haven’t seen in a few pages, but it’s back again.
Let your mind try to picture this so you have a main street in the city with a river flowing right through it. And the tree actually seems to be straddling the river, so its roots go onto both sides of the city. There’s not like a good side of the tracks, bad side of the tracks here. Nothing accursed will be found in that city anymore.
And think about the curse from Genesis three, when sin entered the world. And this curse resonated through all of creation and all of our relationships. And in place of that curse is the throne of God and the Lamb in the midst of it — opportunity, the ability, to be face to face with God, which is something that has been unavailable to people since the garden. We have brief glimpses of face-to-face encounters or almost face-to-face encounters, in the life of Moses especially, but for the most part, that doesn’t happen in the Bible.
But here, all of God’s people see his face. They see him and his name is written on their foreheads. Such a fascinating image of God looking at us and seeing us but also seeing himself in us. And there’s no more night, no need for light of lamp or sun. Again, these are all, these are additional Old Testament images. They speak to the assurance, the comfort, and the peace of this communion that God is committing to establishing. And it’s really a recreation of the communion of Eden, the communion that the tabernacle and the temple sustain, the communion that Jesus brought. And here it finalizes.
Anthony: I can’t help but think of, since we just recently transitioned through a transfiguration Sunday. You’re mentioning seeing God face to face. And of course, his three friends on the Mount of Transfiguration saw a brief glimpse, the thin veil space between heaven and earth, with Jesus transfigured. And Peter, out of his mind, just, “Hey, let’s build three tabernacles here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But we see here that Jesus, the Father, the Spirit — they are our home. This is our home. And we find our home in him and are able to be transfigured in such a way that we can look upon him and not die, as was often the case that we see in the Old Testament. How we praise him.
There are a lot of details in this pericope. Is there anything else that you’d like to bring to the forefront for people that are studying scripture or teaching this text to others?
Chris: I would say I just love all the details of this passage, Anthony. And one thing I would add on that transfiguration note you made is, in the transfiguration scenes, we see Jesus dressed in white — not a surprise. But in Revelation, we see him and all his people dressed in white.
Anthony: Yes.
Chris: Some have seen that as not coincidental, but this kind of unity that God establishes there. So, that’s what, as we’re living in the presence of God here at the end of Revelation, I think that’s another link to Transfiguration Sunday and where we are now.
One detail in this text, just — it’s puzzling to me, it’s very full of promise for me — is this line in verse two, talking about the tree of life producing its fruit. And it says, “and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” That’s a beautiful image. Also, a puzzling image. It reminds me of Adam and Eve covering themselves with leaves and their shame being replaced by these leaves that are meant for healing here. I’m kind of wondering, and I think something I would hope to continue learning about this passage is, why is there a tree for healing in the new Jerusalem? Why is there any mention of healing? Why would you need any healing at all at this point in the story except for the fact that there is this sort of never-ending deepening of our reconciliation and union with God as we live in his presence, this kind of deepening of our life with him forever. That seems to be the only way to explain why you would need anything for healing, except that as creatures we are constantly being turned more and more toward the love and understanding and worship of God and the Lamb in heaven.
So, I’ll leave you that with that wondering, with that guess about what may be happening here in the middle of this scene.
Anthony: And one of the things I’ve appreciated that you’ve done throughout the course of this episode, Chris, is to take advantage of the hyperlinks back to the Old Testament so that we see the grand narrative of scripture, that there is a story being told and there’s a movement in that story towards something. And in Revelation, we get to see the culmination in many ways of the telling of that story. And that’s something I would encourage preachers and teachers to do, is to take advantage of those hyperlinks to bring the story forward in the person of Jesus Christ. I think there’s real beauty in that, don’t you, to bring that together?
Chris: Certainly. Yes.
Anthony: Yeah. Chris, thank you so much for being with us. It was a joy to have you and to hear the testimony of the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world who is bringing all creation together in him. Thank you so much for being with us.
And listeners, we so appreciate you. We couldn’t do this without you, and I wanted to leave you with this thought from Michael Reeves from his book, Enjoying Christ Constantly and he wrote, “being a Christian means Christ wears your crown, the crown of thorns. You wear, his crown, the crown of glory. He puts on the filthy rags of your sin and shame. And you put on his royal robes of life, blessing and honor. The benefit of being in union with Christ is Christ. He gives us all that he is. He gives us himself.” Amen and amen.
I want to thank the team that is behind the podcast. I couldn’t do it without them. I want to thank Reuel Enerio, Elizabeth Mullins, and Michelle Hartman. It’s so great to have a collegial and collaborative team effort to bring this to you. And as is our tradition, we’d like to end with a word of prayer. So, Chris, would you pray for us, please?
Chris: I would love to. Let’s pray. We give you thanks, Lord God, that you are more committed to us than we are to you. Yes, we give you thanks that behind and beyond our line of sight, you are working to redeem this world, that you are closer than we can imagine, and you are more active than we can imagine. We pray that you would renew us by the transforming of our minds through the book of Revelation. Renew us in hope and in confidence, and in doing so, make us faithful to you. We look forward to life in your presence. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Program Transcript
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 6
Anthony: Let’s transition to our final text of the month. It is Revelation 21:10, and 22:1–five. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the sixth Sunday in Easter, which is May 25. Chris, we’d be grateful if you’d read it for us, please.
Chris: I’d love to.
And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. … Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its 12 kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Anthony: Hallelujah. I think sometimes we make the mistake in biblical interpretation, asking the texts, what does this tell me about me or what I’m supposed to do? And I think the first course of action is to find, what does the text reveal about who God is? So, can you help us with that? What do these scriptures reveal about who God is and what we can anticipate?
Chris: Well, it’s a great instinct and a great question, Anthony. In a narcissistic age, we might actually think it is all about us. But it’s actually not. This passage — like so much of Revelation, but again, the details are important — this passage teaches, insists on the fact, that God intends this restoration for us, for his creation. It is the will of God, and it is joined to the character of God for this to be the future of the world.
And this is meant to be for us, as the hymn says, “a strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” This is God’s commitment. It’s not based on us. Or, if one of those seven churches, beginning of Revelation, decides to throw in the towel and quit, this is still going to happen. God is more faithful than we are.
As we look at the details of the passage and what or how God’s commitment to restoration plays out, we see a lot of the Old Testament caught up in this passage. But especially Genesis.
I would encourage anyone who’s studying this passage, go back and read, especially Genesis two and three. Let your imagination kind of work in the resonance between these two passages. In Revelation, we get almost a kind of urban garden. There’s a river running right through it, just like the Garden of Eden. There’s a tree of life, which we haven’t seen in a few pages, but it’s back again.
Let your mind try to picture this so you have a main street in the city with a river flowing right through it. And the tree actually seems to be straddling the river, so its roots go onto both sides of the city. There’s not like a good side of the tracks, bad side of the tracks here. Nothing accursed will be found in that city anymore.
And think about the curse from Genesis three, when sin entered the world. And this curse resonated through all of creation and all of our relationships. And in place of that curse is the throne of God and the Lamb in the midst of it — opportunity, the ability, to be face to face with God, which is something that has been unavailable to people since the garden. We have brief glimpses of face-to-face encounters or almost face-to-face encounters, in the life of Moses especially, but for the most part, that doesn’t happen in the Bible.
But here, all of God’s people see his face. They see him and his name is written on their foreheads. Such a fascinating image of God looking at us and seeing us but also seeing himself in us. And there’s no more night, no need for light of lamp or sun. Again, these are all, these are additional Old Testament images. They speak to the assurance, the comfort, and the peace of this communion that God is committing to establishing. And it’s really a recreation of the communion of Eden, the communion that the tabernacle and the temple sustain, the communion that Jesus brought. And here it finalizes.
Anthony: I can’t help but think of, since we just recently transitioned through a transfiguration Sunday. You’re mentioning seeing God face to face. And of course, his three friends on the Mount of Transfiguration saw a brief glimpse, the thin veil space between heaven and earth, with Jesus transfigured. And Peter, out of his mind, just, “Hey, let’s build three tabernacles here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But we see here that Jesus, the Father, the Spirit — they are our home. This is our home. And we find our home in him and are able to be transfigured in such a way that we can look upon him and not die, as was often the case that we see in the Old Testament. How we praise him.
There are a lot of details in this pericope. Is there anything else that you’d like to bring to the forefront for people that are studying scripture or teaching this text to others?
Chris: I would say I just love all the details of this passage, Anthony. And one thing I would add on that transfiguration note you made is, in the transfiguration scenes, we see Jesus dressed in white — not a surprise. But in Revelation, we see him and all his people dressed in white.
Anthony: Yes.
Chris: Some have seen that as not coincidental, but this kind of unity that God establishes there. So, that’s what, as we’re living in the presence of God here at the end of Revelation, I think that’s another link to Transfiguration Sunday and where we are now.
One detail in this text, just — it’s puzzling to me, it’s very full of promise for me — is this line in verse two, talking about the tree of life producing its fruit. And it says, “and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” That’s a beautiful image. Also, a puzzling image. It reminds me of Adam and Eve covering themselves with leaves and their shame being replaced by these leaves that are meant for healing here. I’m kind of wondering, and I think something I would hope to continue learning about this passage is, why is there a tree for healing in the new Jerusalem? Why is there any mention of healing? Why would you need any healing at all at this point in the story except for the fact that there is this sort of never-ending deepening of our reconciliation and union with God as we live in his presence, this kind of deepening of our life with him forever. That seems to be the only way to explain why you would need anything for healing, except that as creatures we are constantly being turned more and more toward the love and understanding and worship of God and the Lamb in heaven.
So, I’ll leave you that with that wondering, with that guess about what may be happening here in the middle of this scene.
Anthony: And one of the things I’ve appreciated that you’ve done throughout the course of this episode, Chris, is to take advantage of the hyperlinks back to the Old Testament so that we see the grand narrative of scripture, that there is a story being told and there’s a movement in that story towards something. And in Revelation, we get to see the culmination in many ways of the telling of that story. And that’s something I would encourage preachers and teachers to do, is to take advantage of those hyperlinks to bring the story forward in the person of Jesus Christ. I think there’s real beauty in that, don’t you, to bring that together?
Chris: Certainly. Yes.
Anthony: Yeah. Chris, thank you so much for being with us. It was a joy to have you and to hear the testimony of the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world who is bringing all creation together in him. Thank you so much for being with us.
And listeners, we so appreciate you. We couldn’t do this without you, and I wanted to leave you with this thought from Michael Reeves from his book, Enjoying Christ Constantly and he wrote, “being a Christian means Christ wears your crown, the crown of thorns. You wear, his crown, the crown of glory. He puts on the filthy rags of your sin and shame. And you put on his royal robes of life, blessing and honor. The benefit of being in union with Christ is Christ. He gives us all that he is. He gives us himself.” Amen and amen.
I want to thank the team that is behind the podcast. I couldn’t do it without them. I want to thank Reuel Enerio, Elizabeth Mullins, and Michelle Hartman. It’s so great to have a collegial and collaborative team effort to bring this to you. And as is our tradition, we’d like to end with a word of prayer. So, Chris, would you pray for us, please?
Chris: I would love to. Let’s pray. We give you thanks, Lord God, that you are more committed to us than we are to you. Yes, we give you thanks that behind and beyond our line of sight, you are working to redeem this world, that you are closer than we can imagine, and you are more active than we can imagine. We pray that you would renew us by the transforming of our minds through the book of Revelation. Renew us in hope and in confidence, and in doing so, make us faithful to you. We look forward to life in your presence. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- Discuss God’s grace to us in revealing his purposes and his character through the visions he gave to John.
- What takeaways did you have about the absence of the temple in the new Jerusalem or that there was no need for light from the moon or sun?
- Describe in your own words what we are to understand by the phrase “those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
- What significance did you gain from the connection of the new Jerusalem to the garden of Eden?
- Contrast our “cities” or world today, with the vision of the holy city that comes down from heaven. What differences do you see?
- Were there other significant insights from the passage you would like to share or discuss?
- Can you think of ways we can participate in the Lord’s reign as seen in the new Jerusalem?
