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 4023 | A Different Sort of Power
Jeff Broadnax
The historian and moralist known as Lord Acton held the opinion that a person’s sense of morality diminishes as their power increases. You have probably heard quoted some version of his statement, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”
That’s a pretty bold statement. However, with every passing chapter of history, Lord Acton is continually proven to be right. Notorious examples of absolute power can be seen in people like Napoleon Bonaparte who reached a point where he saw fit to declare himself an emperor. Even worse are the Roman emperors who went further to declare themselves gods. This kind of power is a self-determining power where might makes right. If you have the power, you can do whatever you want and be whoever you want. You answer to no one.
Today, we still have power players who crown themselves arbiters over everyone else and declare themselves to be all-knowing demigods who are above question. There is a long list of powerful people whose corruption stains the pages of history. It seems Lord Acton knew what he was talking about.
But, it’s not just the powerful elite who suffer from such corruption. It is in all of us to want to be masters of our own fates and captains of our own souls. And this futile pursuit has not only stained the pages of world history, but it has left a stain on our personal histories as well. And there is no amount of power that we can possess to undo it.
There is one, thankfully, who is powerful enough to rub out the stain. Only, his power is of a different sort. It’s the power that comes in the form of a slain Lamb. He ushers in his kingdom not through brute force and domination, but through the power of sacrificing his very self. Rather than, leveraging power for the sake of himself, he leverages his power for the sake of all of us.
It’s the power the Apostle Paul equated with the Cross. This is not how we think of power. For the powerbrokers of the world, this sounds like foolishness. But, Jesus, the slain Lamb of the cross has broken the chains of our self-determined sinfulness and erased the stains of our corrupt history.
Listen to the vision of his throne recorded in the Book of Revelation:
“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
Revelation 5:11-14
Jesus’ power does not come by self-appointment. It is received from his Father, who sent him into our world to rescue and redeem us. For this reason, the Father gave him the name above all names. He is the one we answer to. For this reason, we bow down to the only one who is worthy, and whose power never corrupts.
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4023 | A Different Sort of Power
Jeff Broadnax
The historian and moralist known as Lord Acton held the opinion that a person’s sense of morality diminishes as their power increases. You have probably heard quoted some version of his statement, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”
That’s a pretty bold statement. However, with every passing chapter of history, Lord Acton is continually proven to be right. Notorious examples of absolute power can be seen in people like Napoleon Bonaparte who reached a point where he saw fit to declare himself an emperor. Even worse are the Roman emperors who went further to declare themselves gods. This kind of power is a self-determining power where might makes right. If you have the power, you can do whatever you want and be whoever you want. You answer to no one.
Today, we still have power players who crown themselves arbiters over everyone else and declare themselves to be all-knowing demigods who are above question. There is a long list of powerful people whose corruption stains the pages of history. It seems Lord Acton knew what he was talking about.
But, it’s not just the powerful elite who suffer from such corruption. It is in all of us to want to be masters of our own fates and captains of our own souls. And this futile pursuit has not only stained the pages of world history, but it has left a stain on our personal histories as well. And there is no amount of power that we can possess to undo it.
There is one, thankfully, who is powerful enough to rub out the stain. Only, his power is of a different sort. It’s the power that comes in the form of a slain Lamb. He ushers in his kingdom not through brute force and domination, but through the power of sacrificing his very self. Rather than, leveraging power for the sake of himself, he leverages his power for the sake of all of us.
It’s the power the Apostle Paul equated with the Cross. This is not how we think of power. For the powerbrokers of the world, this sounds like foolishness. But, Jesus, the slain Lamb of the cross has broken the chains of our self-determined sinfulness and erased the stains of our corrupt history.
Listen to the vision of his throne recorded in the Book of Revelation:
“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
Revelation 5:11-14
Jesus’ power does not come by self-appointment. It is received from his Father, who sent him into our world to rescue and redeem us. For this reason, the Father gave him the name above all names. He is the one we answer to. For this reason, we bow down to the only one who is worthy, and whose power never corrupts.
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 30:1–12 • Acts 9:1–6, (7–20) • Revelation 5:11–14 • John 21:1–19
This week’s theme is saved for worship. In our call to worship psalm, David writes of the Lord’s rescue that enables him to sing the Lord’s praises and not be silent. Our reading from Acts recounts Paul’s encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus that set him on the road to proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God. Our text selection from Revelation tells of the vision of all creatures in heaven and earth gathered around the throne to worship the Lamb who was slain. The Gospel text in John tells the story of Peter being restored and commissioned by the risen Lord to feed his sheep.
How to use this sermon resource.
Worthy is the Lamb Who was Slain
Revelation 5:11–14 NIV
Today, for the third Sunday of our Easter celebration, we will continue our journey through the Book of Revelation. Last week we laid down some ground rules to help us get more out of our reading from this one-of-kind book. Two of those ground rules will be helpful in today’s reading. First, we were reminded last week that the central character of Revelation is Jesus, who is the slain and risen Lord who gained the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. This will feature prominently in today’s selection. Also, we were reminded last week that one of Revelation’s central themes is the secure and full salvation of the saints. That too will be evident in our passage.
Last week we read chapter 1. We jump ahead to chapter 5 for today’s reading. It may be helpful to quickly summarize in order to set us up for today. Otherwise, it may feel like we watched the opening scene of a movie and then stepped out to get some popcorn.
Here is some of what we missed: Last week, we were introduced to John, the author, and the seven churches, who were the recipients of John’s letter. We learned that Jesus, the central character, “is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” We stopped before reading the seven letters to each of the seven churches. We also missed a lot of apocalyptic language in describing the vision John was given about Jesus. [Note: the term “apocalyptic” was explained in the sermon guide for April 27, but good practice would be to briefly explain it again each week of the series.] After the reading of the letters to the seven churches we get a dramatic description of the throne room in heaven recorded in chapter 4. Here we encounter some pretty crazy images that take our imagination on a wild ride. We should visit some of these images as they set the stage for our reading today.
For starters, the vision is introduced with the picture of a “door standing open in heaven” and a voice like a trumpet speaking (Revelation 4:1). Then we are given a magnificent description of one seated on a splendidly furnished throne that is surrounded by twenty-four additional thrones occupied by twenty-four elders adorned in priestly garments. This is accompanied by “flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder” (Revelation 4:5).
And there is more. Along with the twenty-four elders, we are shown four living creatures that resemble a lion, a bull, a human, and an eagle, each with six wings and “are full of eyes all around and within” (Revelation 4:6–8). These four creatures are continually worshiping the One seated on the throne and “day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come’” (Revelation 4:8). From here there are a few more descriptions of the ongoing worship that is taking place continually in the throne room of heaven.
These images are influenced by or grounded in the Old Testament and go a long way in capturing what John is trying to convey. But it would take us all day and then some to work through all that. But what we can say clearly is that worship is the central activity taking place in heaven. And it appears that this worship has been going on for all eternity. So, John’s vision is giving us a sneak peek into a realm beyond our own.
Because of this we can see why John uses so much imagery to paint the picture. There is no way to describe what is “literally” going on in heaven. It is beyond our language and even our imagination. But by engaging our imaginations, we are brought into this transcendent reality that takes us beyond mere words. All the images together force us to think beyond ourselves. And this is very helpful in guarding us from conceiving of heaven in such a way that diminishes what God has in store for us.
For example, have you ever heard the quip that floating around in heaven on clouds playing harps forever sounds mighty boring? Well, that would be true if we are thinking “literally.” But floating on clouds and playing harps are images that are meant to convey something deeper than actual harps and clouds. That is what John’s description does for us. It is not merely trying to give a literal eyewitness description of what was observed but is attempting to engage us in such a way as to bring us into the very worship being described. All the images and dramatic descriptions scoop us up into a realm that overwhelms us beyond our imagination.
Through John’s vision, we can come to understand that “worship” is what we are made for, and it is the pinnacle of human existence. More to the point, we are made to see and know the Lord forever, without any hindrances. As John records in his Gospel account, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). It seems that John is describing that “eternal life” by pushing human language to its breaking point. We shouldn’t expect these descriptions to make complete sense. They are not intended to. They are intended to invite us into worship, into the very throne room of God where we encounter the One who alone is worthy of such worship. This description in chapter 4 focuses on worship of the Father who is seated on the throne.
After this description, John draws our attention to Jesus by way of a scroll that is sealed and that no one can open. This is a sad vision for John but then he records the words of one of the elders: “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5). And with that John leads us further into the vision where Jesus is also the object of worship.
This vision includes the image of 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” (Revelation 5:6). That alone is a staggering and bewildering image to grapple with. As this Lamb moves to take the scroll, the worship being offered to the Father is now given to the Lamb with a song that conveys confidence and assurance of the Lamb’s worthiness to open the scroll. The worthiness of the Lamb is in some way connected to the fact that the Lamb’s sacrifice of blood has “purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
And that leads us to the portion of John’s Revelation that we have before us today.
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:11–12 NIV
Now that Jesus has been revealed as worthy to open the scroll, we find the circle of worship widen exponentially. The vision will now include countless angels who form another ring around the encircled creatures and twenty-four elders. So, we are invited to picture the throne being enveloped if you will by a series of concentric circles that are turned towards the throne in worship. The first circle is made up of the twenty-four elders, the second circle is made up of the four animal-like creatures, and now the vision adds a circle of countless angels. And the song the angels begin to sing echoes the song of the twenty-four elders and four creatures. They are praising the slaughtered Lamb as worthy “to receive power, and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
Through this seven-fold expression of praise and worship, we are given some very good news about the reign of King Jesus. First, he receives all these accolades. He does not take them for himself. Second, he is counted as worthy of receiving them. That means, the Lamb has proven to be trustworthy with all that is given to him. How often have we lamented the use of power in the hands of those who are not worthy of it? What havoc has been wrought in our world by those who grasp at power and wealth only to use it for harm? How often has “wisdom” been used for evil, and strength to keep the weak down? Have we not grown tired of giving “honor and glory and praise” to those who seek to set themselves on their own thrones in order to rule over us in tyranny and unrestrained control?
The good news is we now see in John’s vision that the days of such rulers are coming to an end. Jesus is worthy to have all these things as he has proven to be the only one we can trust to have our good in mind. He is the one who gave his life for us, spilled his blood to save us for himself. His death means we can trust him with our life. Praise God we have a Lord we can trust fully!
Notice how John will now let us see the circle of worship grow even wider on account of Jesus’ sacrifice.
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” Revelation 5:13 NIV
Now that Jesus has been victorious as the conquering Lamb, all creatures have been set free to worship. The vision displays that the Lord’s expansive and complete victory is for the entire cosmos. There is no rock left unturned or dark corner untouched by the victorious light of Jesus’ work of salvation. His creation and all creatures within are set free, redeemed, and invited into the throne room to worship.
Let’s have a word about worship to help clarify what it is we are being drawn into. Worship is not something God needs as if he is on an ego trip. Worship is the proper response of knowing who God is. In a small way, we can think of worship as the natural response that comes from enjoying a majestic sunrise or sunset or some other natural wonder that captures our attention. We are not “worshiping” in order to make something happen. The enjoyment and “wow” moment of a beautiful waterfall for example, is produced by seeing and experiencing the waterfall. So, when we think of worshiping God, we are really talking about seeing and knowing him for who he is without hindrance. To see God is to worship him because he is that beautiful, that amazing and wonderful.
We will worship him for all eternity because we will never grow bored with who he is. He will never cease to amaze us with his goodness. Perhaps this is one of the things conveyed in the odd image of the four creatures who “are full of eyes all around and within” (Revelation 4:6). That image conveys that there is nothing withheld from their sight. There is no confusion within or without to whom they are in relation to — the One seated on the throne. As a result, they are in full worship of the one they see.
What we see in Jesus’ victory is a salvation that frees us to know the Lord in the way God intended from the beginning. Jesus has healed us of the blindness that comes from the darkness of sin. He has removed all hindrances to seeing God for who he truly is in his heart and character. That’s why Jesus is the Revelation of God. It’s in Jesus that we can now fully see who God is as the one who is trustworthy and worthy of all worship.
Now we have another concentric ring added to the circle of worship. Jesus and His Father, along with the Holy Spirit, are at the center of worship. This is a life of worship that has been going on for all eternity, but now we, the redeemed creatures of the Lamb, are included in the circle of worship. And let’s take note of our placement. We are not the center, not even the inner circle. Maybe we need that image included in John’s vision to keep us humble. By grace, we are included in the circle, but that does not make us the center. The center is always the triune God. But that does not diminish our inclusion one bit. John has a final word to conclude the vision of the throne room.
The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:14 NIV
Notice that the inner ring says “Amen” to the words of worship being said by the outer ring, the redeemed creatures, and responds with further worship. We are brought into the worship of God, not as spectators in the nose-bleed seats, but as real participants in the life of worship that has been going on for all eternity. We are invited to make a real contribution in the divine life of heaven. That is a marvelous truth that is hard to capture in mere words. So, John invites us to engage our imaginations, to go beyond what our world offers today, and lean into the worship we will enter into fully upon Jesus’ return.
As we conclude this third Sunday of Easter worship, may we go forth seeking to know the Lord more and more, growing in our enjoyment and worship of him and his Father, who he reveals by the Spirit. Worship does not have to end when we leave the sanctuary, for the Lord goes with us into this broken world, to continue his revelation to all. As we go with him in our daily lives, may we also continue to know him and worship him and be a witness to him in all the dark corners of our world. Knowing him is far greater than we could possibly imagine. The more we come to know him, the more we will want others to come to see and know him as well. Then they too can worship in the circle.
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 3
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR062-Blumhofer-YearC-Easter3.mp3
May 4, 2025 — Third Sunday in Easter
Revelation 5:11-14
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Program Transcript
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 3
Anthony: Let’s do this. Let’s dive into the lectionary text we’ll be discussing. Our first one of the month is Revelation 5:11–14. I’ll be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is the Revised Common Lectionary passage for the third Sunday in Easter, May 4.
Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
Chris, I’m curious. What would you suggest is the significance of the slaughtered Lamb being on the throne — the imagery of that? We know he’s the roaring Lion. We know he’s the glorious King, slaughtered. But in Revelation he’s shown to us as a slaughtered Lamb. What should we take away from that?
Chris: This is really everything for John. He uses this title a lot in the book of Revelation. The description of Jesus as the Lamb occurs twenty-eight times. That’s not a coincidence. John loves numbers, and twenty-eight, as most of us will remember from school, is seven times four. These are both numbers of completion, perfection. So, we’re seeing in this passage for the first time in the book of Revelation, this designation of Jesus that fits him perfectly for John.
And we’re not ready for this. It’s really a bait and switch. To understand the full whiplash of the scene, we have to go up to the beginning of the chapter where John is seeing this scroll and there’s no one able to open it, and to read the story and let it move forward.
And this angel is there holding it. He’s weeping because he can’t see it opened. And an elder encourages John and says, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And then he, John looks, and he sees a Lamb.
Revelation is out to surprise us here. The One who overcomes all the evil and all the destruction in the world, the One who breaks all the cycles of sin, has done it, through being faithful to the point of death. And he wants us to imagine the conquering strength of a lion, but to picture, to see, that conquering through faithfulness, purity, holiness in Jesus, the Lamb that was slain.
So here are the strength and the glory of God are revealed in the crucified Jesus. And if you want to know real strength in Revelation, you don’t see real strength until you see love that is strong enough to die for its enemies, to be faithful to the point of death. That’s what strength conquering looks like in Revelation.
So, this Lamb title is one of the key ones for John. It’s not just a title he pulls out of a grab bag of titles for Jesus. Unless Jesus is the Lamb of God, then the whole message of this book unravels because this book is written especially to suffering Christians, people who could, may struggle to do so, but their lives resembled people who were led, as the psalm says, like sheep to the slaughter. They knew that feeling and so to associate them with Jesus, the One who was slain, but has been raised by the Father, that is a crucial way of understanding who God is and also understanding themselves.
Anthony: And it stands in such stark contrast to the empires of this world and triumphalism. We want the Lion, right, to conquer our foes. And yet God comes to us as a Lamb cruciform, laying down his life, which is opposed. That’s why the Kingdom of God is such an alternative form of living, right? And I’m reminded of what Richard Hayes once wrote, that the church community is called to embody that alternative order that stands as a sign of God’s redemptive purposes in the world. And it looks like a Lamb, slaughtered.
I’m curious, Chris. For me, when I come to a text like this — it’s just so glorious, so filled with song and worship. How do you capture that in a homily, in a sermon to a congregation? But I’m going to ask you to do that. How would you herald this good news to the congregation?
Chris: Especially because Revelation is so rich in imagery, it’s so full of songs and poems, I think it’s important to think about engaging this passage in the context of a whole worship service. So, I will answer your question about preaching, but I would just encourage, there are so many hymns and praise songs that draw on the text of this, the text of this book. Yes, there are so many prayers that are written in this book that we can pray again and learn to pray. So, I would really try to immerse the entire service in Revelation. Because at the end of the day, what John’s after is, he wants to shift our perspective on the world, give us a new orientation to it, and we can do some of that work discursively, in a sermon. God’s given us art and poetry and song, and Revelation is even using that, and it’s not a coincidence. But the way that God will grab and renew our imagination, will include all of those different media,
Anthony: and I would say, as you mentioned previously, iconography as well, as a way to visualize what’s being pictured here.
Chris: Yes. Yes. Some, I have heard some say, that this is the most visual book in the Bible. It’s full of images, and I think that’s right. And so, to let some art engage our interpretation is entirely fitting, for Revelation especially. But let me dive into the sermon portion of a worship service here.
So, if I was preaching this text, I’d do a couple things as I was approaching it. I would really want to set it in the context of the problem that it’s responding to. So, this praise of the Lamb, “worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered” — actually responding to the question that John asked up in verses two and three, “who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals”, or rather that’s what the angel asked.
And John is weeping because no one steps forward to do this. And what that’s responding to in the text, this moment in the text, is this challenge. What if we are stuck in the endless cycle of violence, destruction, futility that we are in? What if we’re stuck there? And that’s what verses two and three of this chapter put before us.
When the Lamb steps forward, when the Lamb is found worthy, that is good news for all sorts of reasons. But in the plot of this chapter, it’s because the Lamb is the One who will move the story forward. God is not going to give up on this world. As broken and as full of suffering as it is, it is not outside of the reach of God. And it is the Lamb, the One who gave his life for the world, who is worthy to move the story forward into a new chapter. So, it’s not as if Revelation happens, the whole drama of Revelation happens, because God finally runs out of patience and now his anger is let loose on the world or something like that here.
The One who moves the story forward is the One who is totally defined by his love for what he made — his perfect love, his jealous love. But it is the life of the Lamb of God that moves history forward in Revelation. That’s what this scene puts before us.
If I was going to preach about that, I would want to linger on what we are waiting for and what it is that will move the story of this world, the story of our lives forward. Because I think John is giving us a deeply encouraging word, but we have to be in touch with how stuck we are in order to do that. We’re taking for granted here that people may have in their ear the situation of the churches that we’ve already read about in Revelation two and three. These are churches that, they’re in all sorts of situations, but what they have in common is a need to hold fast to Jesus at this time. Some are suffering, some are being persecuted and died. Some are wealthy and complacent. They’re all being called back to Jesus, to this fresh understanding of who he is and recommitment to him for the unique struggle of following him in their situation.
I think the third thing I’d want to hit on if I was opening up this passage for a congregation is, I would want to talk about the “all-ness” of this passage, the comprehensive scope of what Jesus offers every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them. Sing praise. This is good news to everyone and there is no other story of the world, for the world, than this one here.
If I might say one more thing, Anthony.
Anthony: Sure.
Chris: I wouldn’t want to let go of what we talked about in that first question about the importance of the Lamb being the image we’ve seen there. I once heard a music album, a jazz album, reviewed. And the reviewer, he had this perfect line. He said that the musician — he plays the wrong note, but he puts it in the right place.
And I feel like it’s important to let John play the wrong note, shock us with the image of the Lamb in the exact perfect place, in the midst of our longing, in the midst, when we’re wondering who will move the story of our lives forward. Are we one scientific discovery from getting over cancer or are we one administration away from being able to solve our political problems?
It’s not going to be cleverness or our strengths that save us. It is going to be the Lamb. And John puts what might feel emotionally to us like the wrong note here by putting the slain Lamb at the center of this image. But he puts it in exactly the right place. And I think that’s what Revelation calls us to understand and to trust.
Anthony: Well said, Chris. And, as I’m looking over this text, and you mentioned this, all creatures are singing with full voice. So, would you like to sing one of those hymns you mentioned before? Could this be a world presentation of Chris Blumhofer singing a song on this podcast?
Chris: No. I don’t think so. We’re going to pass on it. I don’t have one that comes immediately to mind, so I’m going to pass on that. Thank you.
Anthony: Okay. Fair enough. Let me ask you this, just one last follow up question. It, Revelation, has been often misunderstood. If you could encapsulate what John is really trying to accomplish in a sentence or two through this Revelation, what would it be?
Chris: It is that Jesus is much closer than we think. And that he is completely engaged in the history and story of this world in our lives. I see the book of Revelation structured in a series of sort of waves. The first wave is chapters one through three where Jesus comes to the church. He’s right there walking amid the church, speaking to the churches.
And this passage we’re in now in chapter 4–11 is this second wave of Jesus coming to the world. Moving history forward with this scroll, with the scroll that is being opened. In the final wave, Jesus comes against the great enemy Satan, who’s manifest in the world, but is actually a spiritual power behind it.
But in each of these movements of the text, Jesus is much closer and much more engaged than it might feel like he is if you are on the ground suffering. And so, John is opening up our eyes. Or as I sometimes say, when I teach this class, he’s giving us this pair of glasses that we can put on and all of a sudden, we can see the world in full color, and it is much more colorful than we imagined beforehand. Yes.
Anthony: Hallelujah. Praise God. And that leads me to believe, Chris, that in its final summation, Revelation is good news, because at the center of it is the Lamb. And so, if you hear anyone with a hermeneutic that leads you to believe that Revelation is bad news, look again. Put on those glasses Chris mentioned and see the color that is before us and the person of Jesus Christ.
Program Transcript
Chris Blumhofer—Year C Easter 3
Anthony: Let’s do this. Let’s dive into the lectionary text we’ll be discussing. Our first one of the month is Revelation 5:11–14. I’ll be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is the Revised Common Lectionary passage for the third Sunday in Easter, May 4.
Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
Chris, I’m curious. What would you suggest is the significance of the slaughtered Lamb being on the throne — the imagery of that? We know he’s the roaring Lion. We know he’s the glorious King, slaughtered. But in Revelation he’s shown to us as a slaughtered Lamb. What should we take away from that?
Chris: This is really everything for John. He uses this title a lot in the book of Revelation. The description of Jesus as the Lamb occurs twenty-eight times. That’s not a coincidence. John loves numbers, and twenty-eight, as most of us will remember from school, is seven times four. These are both numbers of completion, perfection. So, we’re seeing in this passage for the first time in the book of Revelation, this designation of Jesus that fits him perfectly for John.
And we’re not ready for this. It’s really a bait and switch. To understand the full whiplash of the scene, we have to go up to the beginning of the chapter where John is seeing this scroll and there’s no one able to open it, and to read the story and let it move forward.
And this angel is there holding it. He’s weeping because he can’t see it opened. And an elder encourages John and says, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And then he, John looks, and he sees a Lamb.
Revelation is out to surprise us here. The One who overcomes all the evil and all the destruction in the world, the One who breaks all the cycles of sin, has done it, through being faithful to the point of death. And he wants us to imagine the conquering strength of a lion, but to picture, to see, that conquering through faithfulness, purity, holiness in Jesus, the Lamb that was slain.
So here are the strength and the glory of God are revealed in the crucified Jesus. And if you want to know real strength in Revelation, you don’t see real strength until you see love that is strong enough to die for its enemies, to be faithful to the point of death. That’s what strength conquering looks like in Revelation.
So, this Lamb title is one of the key ones for John. It’s not just a title he pulls out of a grab bag of titles for Jesus. Unless Jesus is the Lamb of God, then the whole message of this book unravels because this book is written especially to suffering Christians, people who could, may struggle to do so, but their lives resembled people who were led, as the psalm says, like sheep to the slaughter. They knew that feeling and so to associate them with Jesus, the One who was slain, but has been raised by the Father, that is a crucial way of understanding who God is and also understanding themselves.
Anthony: And it stands in such stark contrast to the empires of this world and triumphalism. We want the Lion, right, to conquer our foes. And yet God comes to us as a Lamb cruciform, laying down his life, which is opposed. That’s why the Kingdom of God is such an alternative form of living, right? And I’m reminded of what Richard Hayes once wrote, that the church community is called to embody that alternative order that stands as a sign of God’s redemptive purposes in the world. And it looks like a Lamb, slaughtered.
I’m curious, Chris. For me, when I come to a text like this — it’s just so glorious, so filled with song and worship. How do you capture that in a homily, in a sermon to a congregation? But I’m going to ask you to do that. How would you herald this good news to the congregation?
Chris: Especially because Revelation is so rich in imagery, it’s so full of songs and poems, I think it’s important to think about engaging this passage in the context of a whole worship service. So, I will answer your question about preaching, but I would just encourage, there are so many hymns and praise songs that draw on the text of this, the text of this book. Yes, there are so many prayers that are written in this book that we can pray again and learn to pray. So, I would really try to immerse the entire service in Revelation. Because at the end of the day, what John’s after is, he wants to shift our perspective on the world, give us a new orientation to it, and we can do some of that work discursively, in a sermon. God’s given us art and poetry and song, and Revelation is even using that, and it’s not a coincidence. But the way that God will grab and renew our imagination, will include all of those different media,
Anthony: and I would say, as you mentioned previously, iconography as well, as a way to visualize what’s being pictured here.
Chris: Yes. Yes. Some, I have heard some say, that this is the most visual book in the Bible. It’s full of images, and I think that’s right. And so, to let some art engage our interpretation is entirely fitting, for Revelation especially. But let me dive into the sermon portion of a worship service here.
So, if I was preaching this text, I’d do a couple things as I was approaching it. I would really want to set it in the context of the problem that it’s responding to. So, this praise of the Lamb, “worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered” — actually responding to the question that John asked up in verses two and three, “who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals”, or rather that’s what the angel asked.
And John is weeping because no one steps forward to do this. And what that’s responding to in the text, this moment in the text, is this challenge. What if we are stuck in the endless cycle of violence, destruction, futility that we are in? What if we’re stuck there? And that’s what verses two and three of this chapter put before us.
When the Lamb steps forward, when the Lamb is found worthy, that is good news for all sorts of reasons. But in the plot of this chapter, it’s because the Lamb is the One who will move the story forward. God is not going to give up on this world. As broken and as full of suffering as it is, it is not outside of the reach of God. And it is the Lamb, the One who gave his life for the world, who is worthy to move the story forward into a new chapter. So, it’s not as if Revelation happens, the whole drama of Revelation happens, because God finally runs out of patience and now his anger is let loose on the world or something like that here.
The One who moves the story forward is the One who is totally defined by his love for what he made — his perfect love, his jealous love. But it is the life of the Lamb of God that moves history forward in Revelation. That’s what this scene puts before us.
If I was going to preach about that, I would want to linger on what we are waiting for and what it is that will move the story of this world, the story of our lives forward. Because I think John is giving us a deeply encouraging word, but we have to be in touch with how stuck we are in order to do that. We’re taking for granted here that people may have in their ear the situation of the churches that we’ve already read about in Revelation two and three. These are churches that, they’re in all sorts of situations, but what they have in common is a need to hold fast to Jesus at this time. Some are suffering, some are being persecuted and died. Some are wealthy and complacent. They’re all being called back to Jesus, to this fresh understanding of who he is and recommitment to him for the unique struggle of following him in their situation.
I think the third thing I’d want to hit on if I was opening up this passage for a congregation is, I would want to talk about the “all-ness” of this passage, the comprehensive scope of what Jesus offers every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them. Sing praise. This is good news to everyone and there is no other story of the world, for the world, than this one here.
If I might say one more thing, Anthony.
Anthony: Sure.
Chris: I wouldn’t want to let go of what we talked about in that first question about the importance of the Lamb being the image we’ve seen there. I once heard a music album, a jazz album, reviewed. And the reviewer, he had this perfect line. He said that the musician — he plays the wrong note, but he puts it in the right place.
And I feel like it’s important to let John play the wrong note, shock us with the image of the Lamb in the exact perfect place, in the midst of our longing, in the midst, when we’re wondering who will move the story of our lives forward. Are we one scientific discovery from getting over cancer or are we one administration away from being able to solve our political problems?
It’s not going to be cleverness or our strengths that save us. It is going to be the Lamb. And John puts what might feel emotionally to us like the wrong note here by putting the slain Lamb at the center of this image. But he puts it in exactly the right place. And I think that’s what Revelation calls us to understand and to trust.
Anthony: Well said, Chris. And, as I’m looking over this text, and you mentioned this, all creatures are singing with full voice. So, would you like to sing one of those hymns you mentioned before? Could this be a world presentation of Chris Blumhofer singing a song on this podcast?
Chris: No. I don’t think so. We’re going to pass on it. I don’t have one that comes immediately to mind, so I’m going to pass on that. Thank you.
Anthony: Okay. Fair enough. Let me ask you this, just one last follow up question. It, Revelation, has been often misunderstood. If you could encapsulate what John is really trying to accomplish in a sentence or two through this Revelation, what would it be?
Chris: It is that Jesus is much closer than we think. And that he is completely engaged in the history and story of this world in our lives. I see the book of Revelation structured in a series of sort of waves. The first wave is chapters one through three where Jesus comes to the church. He’s right there walking amid the church, speaking to the churches.
And this passage we’re in now in chapter 4–11 is this second wave of Jesus coming to the world. Moving history forward with this scroll, with the scroll that is being opened. In the final wave, Jesus comes against the great enemy Satan, who’s manifest in the world, but is actually a spiritual power behind it.
But in each of these movements of the text, Jesus is much closer and much more engaged than it might feel like he is if you are on the ground suffering. And so, John is opening up our eyes. Or as I sometimes say, when I teach this class, he’s giving us this pair of glasses that we can put on and all of a sudden, we can see the world in full color, and it is much more colorful than we imagined beforehand. Yes.
Anthony: Hallelujah. Praise God. And that leads me to believe, Chris, that in its final summation, Revelation is good news, because at the center of it is the Lamb. And so, if you hear anyone with a hermeneutic that leads you to believe that Revelation is bad news, look again. Put on those glasses Chris mentioned and see the color that is before us and the person of Jesus Christ.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- Have you ever thought that “worshiping” for all eternity sounded boring? Did anything from this passage help you see it differently?
- Are there additional insights from the images and descriptions discussed that the Spirit shared with you that you would like to share?
- What did the image of the concentric circles of worship around the throne convey to you?
- How would you describe to someone what worship is and what it is not?
- What encouragement did you receive from the passage discussed today?
