The Lion and The Lamb

Reading Amount: Revelation 4:1-6:17

Central Verse:

Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Rood of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals," Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:5-6 NRSV

Central Truth:

While there is violence present in Revelation everything comes back to the lamb of God. The act of conquering, while using violent language, comes back to a non-violent image the slaughtered lamb who conquered all evil for us.

Food For Thought:

The throne of God is a traditional visionary experience that happens in many of the prophetic books in the bible.

The vision of the four horsemen has been used in artistic renderings for centuries.

There is a lot of discussion about who the first horseman is. Some have maintained that the white horseman could be Christ while others have seen it as symbolic of the Parthinians, a group that lived on the edge of the Roman empire who were never conquered by the Romans.

There is a problem in the book of Revelation with John's use of violent and vindictive language. This is something important that we must come to grips with early in our understanding of Revelation. In Interpretation: Revelation commentary by Eugene M. Boring he has an excellent summary of four items we need to be aware of in regards to Johns use of language. Johns situation, John's appropriation of tradition, his use of language and his theology.

1. the givenness of John's Situation of suffering - John's begins with the fact that there is suffering around him in his own day. We also see demonstrated in scripture that when a religious community feels that they are being pushed the edge of their endurance they will vent their feelings of resentment and revenge often in the form of eschatological (end of world) table turning. (examples Psalms 35; 55; 109; 137)
2. John's Appropriation of Tradition - John uses the images and traditions of his surrounding culture to interpret what is happening in his vision. For example it was common in the ancient Near East to envision the world as having been created through violence and war. The remaining chaos we see in the world is a result of un-creation. John also uses messianic woes which were a common feature in the Old testament prophets. We also must remember the true source of John's language regarding wrath, it comes from deep biblical traditions.
3. John's use of Language - it must be remembered that John is using visionary and metaphorical language. The violence that is expressed is all occurring on a visionary plane not in the world literally. All the violent language is also tempered by confessional language, language that praises God for his salvation and protective care.
4. John's Theology and Purpose
   1. Sin, Repentance, judgment. The violent imagery repeatedly expresses John's conviction of universal human sinfulness. The eschatological terrors are therefore an expression of John's sense of Justice. Considering the situation, this is done in a remarkably non-smug manner. The us/them mentality, while present, is not absolute: we are also judged as sinners; they are not excluded from salvation.
   2. Christological transformation of traditional imagery. The traditional imagery of apocalyptic terror is adopted and used by John, but like everything else in his revelation it is transformed within his Christological perspective.
   3. Universal Salvation. The violent imagery is presented within Revelation which also has scenes of universal salvation…."Only when we acknowledge that Revelation hopes for the conversion of the nations….will we be able to see that it does not advocate a 'theology of resentment' but a theology of justice" (Fiorenza, Invitation, p. 119).

   Interpretation: pg 113-119

   Connections:

   In times of hardship in our lives as individuals and collectively as community we struggle with who is in control. This is especially difficult when we are in the midst of violence. When we turn on the news we are surrounded by the violence of the world and we know that people are being hurt all the time. The build up until the lamb appears centers around power. The belief is that the "lion" who is coming will be strong and defend us with violence literally conquering our foes.

   Instead we see the Lamb of God. "a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered." The most powerful being in the world is something that has experience violence against itself not something that brings violence. In fact the most powerful being in the world was slaughtered and described as a defenseless creature, a lamb.

   We are being asked to see this image and remember that Christ conquered the world not with violence but through sacrifice. The strength in the image is that it brings us back to the core of the Gospel that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son." It calls us back to the foot of the cross where our understanding of conquering and power are redefined as servant hood and conquering through suffering. It is a shame that many people interpret revelation as a call to violence in defense of a "new world" when the heart of Revelation is non-violence through the slaughtered lamb. We are called to follow Christ's example of non-violence instead of militant opposition to everything. We are called to salvation through the strength of God.