Scripture Text (NRSV)
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
22:12 "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay
according to everyone's work.
22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the end."
22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will
have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the
gates.
22:16 "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony
for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the
bright morning star."
22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let everyone who
hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone
who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
22:20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am
coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.
Amen.
Comments:
The ascended Christ, hidden from our sight, promises to come again. We
eagerly pray, "Come, Lord Jesus," with all who respond to this
invitation.
To believe creation comes from God and is going to God is to trust
that God made the world for a reason, that history has a purpose to
fulfil. The Revelation to John places Jesus in the central, pivotal
role in revealing this purpose and in bringing it about. In these
verses, we hear Jesus claim for himself tht title ascribed to God at
the beginning of the vision: alpha and omega, the origin and destiny
God has planned for creation since the beginning of time, the "root"
of David. At the same time he is called "the descendant of David," the
fulfillment of Israel's destiny and hope. The vision of Revelation, in
speaking of Christ's return, is speaking of the presence of that
fulfilment, which we experience already but not yet fully.
Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
The appearance of these terms fo God and Jesus in the first and last
chapters of the book of Revelation emphasizes the completeness of God
as origin and destiny of all creation.
In John's vision, Jesus says "I am coming soon; my reward is with
me...." The reward is not a prize Jesus has won for himself. It is a
gift of grace for all who are willing to receive. Those who have
trusted their lives to God's care (the robed ones) are welcomed
through the always open gates of God's world (the city) where God is
always present. The "tree of life" image that is an echo from the
creation story in Genesis underlines the theme of completion, of
restoration, of recreation. The coming of Jesus Christ is the end and
goal of God's creation. The word "end" means both "the last thing" and
"the goal or purpose of something." Carpenters use the word "finish"
in both senses as well. To finish a chair or dest is to complete it.
But to apply the finish is to coat it with wood stain and polish,
which brings out the beauty in the grain of the wood. The vision of
the return of Christ is a celebration of the hope that the beauty will
be drawn out in creation, making it shine the way God intends.
The Revelation to John concludes with one more invitation to all to
enter into the blessings of God. Life is a gift. All that is required
to share and live in the gift is to recognize our need and respond to
what we hear.
As usual, the lectionary "inventors" make strange omissions...verses
15, 18 and 19. It's as if they are saying, "Let's just talk about the
good stuff and leave the judgements behind. Certainly the redeemed
must be so doggone secure that they don't need to hear what they are
saved FROM, but only what they are saved FOR."
Seems a bit hypocritical when considering what verse 18 and especially
verse 19 actually say, huh?
Luther in IA
I am intrigued by the fact that Jesus is speaking, and I am also
interested in the use of the word "come". It is a prayer that Jesus
will come. In that day of Roman rule, what did that prayer mean,
coming from those who are thirsty?
What does that prayer mean today? Some children pray, "Come Lord
Jesus, be our guest..." Are we ready for that to happen? Isn't Jesus
already here? Are we praying for the parousia? Are we ready for that
to happen?
In the light of all that is frightening and confusing that is going on
in the world, what does it mean to us that Jesus comes into our world,
to our homes, to our congregations? Our comfort zones will be
disrupted; our lifestyles will be lost. I am seeking how to proclaim
this word to our lives.
Tom from MO
I'm with Luther in LA......It's huge Irony that verse 19 should be
omitted. As a pastor of an evangelical church exploring more
liturgical worship it is this kind of thing that gives fuel to the
fires of those who oppose the direction we're trying to take. MCE
Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus
With the Apocalypse proper finished, John adds an epilog in which he
seeks to stress several important themes.
One is his concern that his readers take seriously the contents of his
prophecy. Twice he has Jesus himself confirm the truth of his
prophetic words for the churches (22.6, 16). And three times John
encourages his readers "to keep the words of prophecy of this book"
(22.7, 9, 10). Moreover, John adds a severe warning near the end of
the epilog. If anyone adds to or subtracts from the prophecy, they
will lose out on eternal life (22.18-19). This warning has sometimes
been misinterpreted as though it referred to all Scripture. But John
is referring only to "the words of the prophecy of this book"—the
Apocalypse. It is most unlikely he intends his warning to be taken
literally. Nevertheless, it is a sharp warning. Why such warning? Its
primary purpose is to insist that John's prophetic vision comes
ultimately from God. As such, it is to be believed and obeyed.
A second theme is a final encouragement to faithfulness. John assures
the faithful that the time is near when God will act. Until that time,
they are to live obedient and faithful lives in the sure hope of their
coming redemption.
The third theme occurs in the thrice-repeated phrase, "I am coming
soon" (22.7, 12, 20; compare 1.1-3). There is no doubt that John and
the seven churches anticipate Christ's return in the near future.
Nevertheless, unlike other apocalypticists, John is not absorbed in
determining the time of the end nor in plotting out the timetable of
history. He is not a prophetic fortuneteller, as some would like him
to be. It is not the when of the end but the who of the end that
absorbs John. It is not the nearness but the certainty of the end that
he proclaims. And that is why in every age the church has heard a
message of hope and promise in the words of the Christ who has come
and who has already freed us from our sins and made us his own people.
And they are the words of the Christ who will come in order to
complete his promise of redemption and bring justice to the world.
With words of hope and promise, the Apocalypse comes to a close in the
same atmosphere of worship with which it began. The promise of Christ,
"I am coming soon," meets the response of the worshiping community,
"Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (22.20-21). This prayer takes us back to the
very beginning of the church and its worship. Therefore as we pray
this prayer, we join with our brothers and sisters and the whole cloud
of witnesses in the faith throughout the centuries in the hope and
promise of Christ's coming again. And at every Eucharist we celebrate
his presence in bread and wine and eat and drink together in faith and
love until he comes. With the benediction, "the grace of our Lord
Jesus be with all the saints," the worship concludes.
In this fitting manner, the Apocalypse ends. Truly, it is a vision of
hope in a threatening world.
The central theme of Revelation is a message of hope for God's people
in a threatening world. The crisis that precipitated the Apocalypse
was the bitter clash between church and state, and the church's
struggle for survival under severe social and political oppression.
Wherever such conflict exists, John's Revelation provides words of
hope and promise. It encourages bold testimony to the lordship of
Christ, resistance and defiance of authorities who demand unworthy
allegiance, and willingness to put one's life on the line in
faithfulness to Christ and his will.
John's Revelation trusts God's promise to overthrow all evil power and
fashion a new world. We have seen that such a powerful message of hope
speaks directly to many oppressed areas of the church and world today.
But it speaks also to issues all believers need to face as they seek
to identify with their oppressed brothers and sisters, and as they
seek to be faithful to their prior allegiance to Christ and his will,
and as they struggle for a more just and humane social order.
That's part of it. But our contemporary world is threatened in other
ways too. Our own genius has unleashed destructive nuclear powers that
question human survival. Other fearful uncertainties lie ahead:
population explosion, limits to natural resources, mass starvation,
arms race in outer space, scientific experimentation in genetics,
growing gap between rich and poor. The future looms as a threat--dark,
unknown, explosive.
To all these uncertainties and more, the message of the Apocalypse is
a word of hope. Trust in God. The love of Christ abides. The future
belongs to God and the Lamb, and to no other.
Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.
