Parallel Texts: Matthew 28:1-8; Luke 24:1-8, 12; John 20:1-10
When Jesus was born in that manger in Bethlehem nobody would have noticed, but God sent choruses of angels out to the fields and they were seen by some shepherds… and there was this star in the sky. When Jesus rose from the grave, there were no choirs to be seen, no great star lighting the sky, just chirping crickets and the sounds of the night.
Thus came the Kingdom.
John the Baptist prepared the way, teaching the people that the Kingdom was at hand. Jesus preached the Kingdom far and wide and demonstrated its power as He went along, but when all the work was finally completed, nobody knew about it at first. Shortly after sunrise on that fateful day at the very precipice of human history, a group of very faithful women arrived at the tomb to finish the dressing of the body, only to discover that there was no body for them to dress; He had risen!
I can’t help but recall these two verses:
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!”
Mark 15:29-30
Guess what boys? The temple was destroyed and He has risen it up again, just like He said, for as we know He was referring to the temple of His body. As for the physical temple building, now obsolete and useless? Well, the clock was ticking on its demise…
God wasn’t quite ready for the big announcement just yet, or more to the point, Peter and the others who would be the ones announcing the arrival of the Kingdom weren’t quite ready, but in 5 weeks, they would make a splash in Jerusalem.
In spite of the lack of fanfare, the day that Jesus rose from the grave was a glorious day, the most glorious of all days, but God’s glory is not like Man’s glory. There were no bands playing, no trumpets sounding, no parades or banners, no wall-to-wall coverage, no newspaper headlines and no ceremonies. Just an empty tomb and a messenger to tell the women that Jesus had risen: Low-key and reserved. John recalls that Mary saw Him, and thought He was the gardener. Obviously, the artists have the scene wrong, no brightly shining white robes; a gardener to all appearances was He.
To this day, the world cannot handle this reality.
Why didn’t God do something far more dramatic to get people’s attention? He could have done that, since He was raising Jesus from the grave, a little fireworks would have been no big deal, and then He would have proven that Jesus returned from the dead. Just think of the sensation if the risen Christ would have entered Jerusalem now; who would oppose Him? Why, He could have walked into Pilate’s quarters and sent him and all of the Romans packing… He could have set up his Kingdom as an earthly one right then and there if that is what He intended, but He didn’t. Don’t forget that Jesus Himself had once remarked that even if someone died and rose again people wouldn’t believe the message. Most people still don’t.
God never wanted His followers to be robots; if He had wanted that, don’t you think He could have made Adam a robot without free will in the first place… and saved Himself a lot of trouble?
He never wanted robots for followers; He wants people who are willing to choose to follow Him, and this tremendous level of restraint is one of the reasons He is worth following!
Parallel Texts: Matthew 27:11-30; Luke 23:2-25; John 18:28-19:16
As usual, Mark is pithy, and a more complete version is available in the other accounts. The main thing that Mark conveys about this whole situation of Jesus before Pilate might just be the quality of the decision made by Pilate. In the other accounts, particularly in John’s, we can easily see that Pilate struggled with this issue, that he really didn’t want to have Jesus executed. While Mark certainly doesn’t dispute this, his brief account, his ‘just the facts’ version renders a clear picture of the bottom line: Pilate in the end, was concerned with his political best interests, and that meant sending a man he knew to be innocent to a terrible death.
There is an old word that describes the actions of Jesus’ accusers and judges, both Jewish and Gentile, that applies perfectly to this story, even though nobody uses it any more, that word is perfidy. Perfidy means treachery, untrustworthy and duplicitous, and that is exactly what has gone on here. The Pharisees, teachers of the law, high priest… and the Roman governor, all of them are guilty of perfidy. The question is why, and the soldiers give us the answer in their mocking of Jesus.
Read carefully verses 16-20.
At first glance, you might see a bored group of men in a very undesirable foreign post having a bit of rather sick and twisted sport with a condemned man. This man in their custody has obviously done something pretty bad; how often do the Jews and the Romans agree on anything? So here he is condemned to die… why not mess with him, he’s not a Roman, so they can do pretty much whatever they want as long as he doesn’t die just yet.
So, they mock him; “king of the Jews,” eh? Let’s have some fun…
They make him a crown of thorns and jam it on his head; that’s pretty funny. They find a purple robe, so they dress him up like a king with his new crown and beat him some more. Jesus must have made a hilarious sight for them, beaten, flogged, blood all over, blood running down his face dressed like some king!
King of the Jews! Hilarious! They had no use for the Jews, they hated even being there, they wanted a posting somewhere civilized… they kneel before their “king” and have another laugh…
An officer tells them to quit fooling around and march the prisoner off to his execution… they hated this part.
That’s what you might see if you don’t read these verses with a more discerning eye, but look again.
This is done to Jesus every day, sometimes we even join in cursing His name, participating in jokes with others. The comments made by those who are ignorant of who and what Jesus is, the insults against His followers, the jabs at His word, the little cartoons and pictures with clever slogans on them that you can see most days in social media that denigrate and demean Jesus. The people who do these things today are just as ignorant as those Roman soldiers were, and they are doing exactly the same kind of thing, for all of them are acting in open and gross rebellion against Almighty God whether they comprehend it or not, just as the accusers and judges of Jesus were.
Solomon wrote that there is nothing new under the sun. He was right then, and nothing has changed now.
There has been perfidy on a grand scale; politics has won out over righteousness. There has been beating and torture, there has been open mocking of God, and Jesus is led to His death. I’m sure the Sanhedrin was feeling relieved; in a short time this threat will be silenced once and for all and they can enjoy the holiday…
Parallel Texts: Matthew 27:31-44; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:17-27
All those sleepless nights, the opportunities missed, the embarrassments in public, the plots, the cabals, the treachery… all of it had come to fruition for the loving and righteous men of Israel, for today, at this time, at this hour… RIGHT NOW! Jesus of Nazareth is being executed! Finally they had gotten what they wanted…
Mark’s account of the crucifixion is of course brief. Yet, even in his pithiness, Mark includes one little detail that should jolt us out of the haze we might feel at reading a text that is so familiar to us. ‘Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!”’ (vv. 29-30)
Such impatience! Jesus was destroying the temple by being on the cross, if you want to see it raised again, you need to wait a couple of days! Of course, they were clueless about these things.
Even the other two being crucified hurl insults at Him, and of course the Jewish leaders have some choice comments to make, showing just how classy they really are. The powers and authorities of this world were having a field-day, thoroughly enjoying their triumph over God.
Parallel Texts: Matthew 27:45-56; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30
Jesus suddenly cries out, quoting Psalm 22:1, people get excited, maybe Elijah will come… wouldn’t that be something to see? Elijah does not come, and shortly thereafter Jesus dies.
Had God forsaken Him at that moment? Theologians argue about that, but I think that He did, for Jesus had become sin on that cross. No, Jesus didn’t commit sin, but He became sin for us. Isn’t it something… Jesus had become the sin of those who had placed Him on that cross, and for their very insults they were hurling at that moment.
Then Jesus died.
The curtain in the temple was torn in two; the Old Covenant had seen its final sacrifice and passed into history as the temple of Jesus’ body died; history itself had reached its climax.
Matthew tells us about an earthquake and clouds that darkened the sun, things that usually signify God’s judgment. A Roman centurion has a surprising remark, and the opponents of Jesus head for their homes feeling… what? Relief probably. Sorrow was the dominant emotion of those women who remained there, His last followers. They would see to the arraignments.
Parallel Texts: Matthew 26:1-5, 14-16; Luke 22:1-6; John 12:2-8
This scene takes place on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning by the Jewish reckoning, in Jerusalem and Bethany. In Jerusalem, the Jewish authorities scheme and plot their knavish plans; they must kill Jesus at the earliest possible moment, but not during the festival. While they plot, Jesus reclines in Bethany, a short distance away, where a woman enters the house and anoints Him with a jar of very expensive perfume; the jar she used would have cost a year’s wages for a working person; a year’s wages!
The people in the room are shocked at the extravagance of this and they rebuke the woman harshly, after all that could have been sold and used to help the poor. If you think about it, it’s difficult to disagree with those people, but Jesus told them to knock it off…
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Mark 14:6-9
If you stop and think about what Jesus tells them here, you can’t help but be struck by a few things. First off, Jesus implies that what this woman has done for Him is even more important than helping the poor, at least that it was of a higher immediate priority since He wasn’t to be with them much longer. Then notice His little jab: “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.” (v. 7) Every time I read this, I wonder if any of those rebuking the woman would be willing to donate a whole year’s wages to the poor if they were talking about using their own money, and not that of this woman… Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but it almost strikes me the same way as when people advocate raising someone else’s taxes for a poverty program.
Next, Jesus takes another step toward the cliff when He tells them that woman had done this to prepare His body beforehand for burial which He knew was now less than three days away. In verse 9 is a little prophecy: Where ever the gospel is preached, people will speak of the woman’s actions… and considering that I’m writing about it now 2,000 years later from halfway around the globe, I guess He was right. The passage concludes with Judas slipping out to make his deal with the devil to betray Jesus to the authorities― the die is cast.
Remember the way chapter 12 ended? After a long day of attacks that Jesus rebuffed, and then after Jesus went on the offensive at the Temple Courts, Mark took us to the scene of the widow’s offering, and Jesus told us about a whole new system where people would set aside the things and ways of this world to give God everything they have in His service. Then, the tumult of the Olivet Discourse in chapter 13, and now, well after sunset that night, this woman offers a sacrifice for Jesus, by pouring a whole year’s wages over His head in the form of expensive perfume. Another act of devotion, another act of self-sacrifice, another sacrifice of self, another glimpse of the Kingdom that was now standing at the door, ready to burst upon the earth.
Earlier that day, the reaction of the worldly leaders was to agree to kill Jesus. Now, one of His own disciples reacts by slipping away to make the final arrangements for His betrayal to those same leaders. Will this cycle ever end?
I don’t know, but all these years later it still continues.
Parallel Texts: Matthew 26:17-25; Luke 22:7-18, 21-23; John 13:22-26
Mark, as was his custom, approaches this subject with an economy of words, with verses 12-16 being about Jesus’ instructions for preparations, followed by a brief description of their meal. As we might suspect, everything went just as Jesus said that they would. When the time came for the meal, Jesus tells the group that one of them will betray Him.
Naturally, they were shocked. “Surely you don’t mean me Lord” seems to be the universal reaction to this, and Jesus narrows it down a bit in verses 19 and 20, and then in 21 He tells them that He will indeed allow Himself to be taken, as the Scriptures have foretold. All of this talk of betrayal, and Jesus’ knowledge of who would do it and when, is there for a reason other than just to make a good story, for it documents that Jesus went willingly; a very important point. No one forced Jesus do anything that night, for He was there for the purpose of doing the Father’s will, to accomplish the Father’s purpose. That this would involve arrest, humiliation, torture, pain and death would not stop Him from going through with this purpose.
I wouldn’t suggest that Jesus was looking forward to the experience, for He was human and faced the same physical weaknesses that the rest of us have. In fact, the added reality that He was also divine, with all of its power and authority most likely made His task more difficult, for it was necessary for Him to restrain His divine power and endure His human pain.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:22-26
It wouldn’t appear that the disciples quite comprehended yet what Jesus had just done, let alone what He was talking about, but obviously the pieces would soon fall into place for them. For each of us, we are fully aware of what has just happened in the story, for we commemorate it each Lord’s Day in our worship. Maybe it is better here that I simply suggest that each of us pause in our busy day to reflect upon the significance of what Jesus was about to do for humanity in the hours that followed this dramatic scene, and to rededicate ourselves to His service.
Final Hours Together
Mark briefly describes the time Jesus spent with the disciples after their last meal together, quite a contrast with the several chapters John gave to the “Farewell Discourse.” Mark breaks this into three short scenes:
Mark 14:27-31
Parallel Texts: Matthew 26:31-35; Luke 22:31-38; John 13:21-38
Peter’s determination to remain loyal to Jesus is admirable, but sadly, it was not to be… at least not yet. Jesus knew that, but He also knew that Peter would fail, and along with the rest of them he would cut and run when things got too tough. He cited the prophecy from Zech. 13:7, and if your mind works as mine does, this citation begs an oddball question: Did Peter fail because of the prophecy, or was the prophecy made in the first place because God knew Peter (and the others) would fail? I struggled with this for a long time before I stumbled across the obvious and simple answer to the riddle. Peter and the others fell short because they were relying on their own strength and will not to fall short, therefore they fell short because their reliance was ill placed. Later, as Apostles, none of them fell short when the going was tough, really tough, for their reliance was upon God and they were sustained by His strength and not merely by their own.
Parallel Texts: Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1
The scene in the Garden of Gethsemane is a poignant one, where Jesus prays fervently, filled with angst that the cup should pass from Him if possible, yet the Father’s will and not His own should be done. Clearly, His human side wanted to find a way out of what He was about to endure, and yet His love for the Father and for humanity was stronger; His devotion to God’s eternal purpose won out. Yet while this gut-wrenching scene is playing out, the disciples fall asleep!
I seriously doubt they fell asleep on purpose, but here too, they relied on their own strength and not upon God as they would later. The outcome of this ill-placed confidence is always the same, and we should really remember that.
Parallel Texts: Matthew 26:47-56; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-11
On come the goons from the temple guards, with Judas in the vanguard. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.
Of course we know this as one of history’s great ironies; Jesus commented on it in the other accounts. I get the same chill seeing people today who loudly profess their love and devotion for Jesus, and then watch them do everything in their power to run people away from His church. … but then that’s just me. Did Judas really think he was doing Jesus a favor, forcing His hand so that He would raise an army and take the city by force as some have suggested over the years?
I have no idea what Judas was really thinking; maybe he just needed the money, or maybe he was under demonic influence, or maybe he was the only one who understood fully what Jesus was there to do and wanted to help out… I can’t imagine! What I do know is that the stage was now set for the pivotal drama of all recorded history.
Of course, the disciples fled, and it would appear that there were more present than just the disciples, for in the final verse we see a young man, little more than a boy, who is swept up in the confusion, and who escapes the guards by slipping out of his garment and running off into the darkness naked: Meet our author everyone, for I am convinced that this was none other than Mark himself.
There’s an old saying about excuses. OK, well maybe it isn’t all that old, but it’s a pretty good one, at least I think it is a good one. True it isn’t famous or anything… fine, you got me, but it is what I say about excuses:
When you’re looking for an excuse, one is as good as another.
That night, the Jewish authorities were looking for an excuse to kill Jesus, and they really weren’t all too choosy about their excuse as long as everyone could keep the story straight; after all this guy was pretty popular.
Parallel Texts: Matthew 26:57-68; Luke 22:54, 63-65; John 23:24
Jesus on trial before the full cast of Jewish authorities: Can you imagine anything more ridiculous? The Son of God actually on trial before a group of corrupt hypocrites cowering behind their fancy robes, their meaningless earthly positions, desperate to maintain the magnificent fiction of their own self-righteousness, and all this for what reason? So they can truthfully preserve a lie; so they can lawfully continue their corruption; so they can graciously continue in their oppression.
E.G. Marshall once said that “truth is stranger than fiction… especially if you change it to make a good story”. No changes are necessary for this story; it is just strange.
The biggest problem these clowns have is that their fake witnesses keep contradicting one another. Evidently, the witnesses for the prosecution weren’t very well prepared to give testimony; at least they seemed to be forgetting their lines. Maybe they had a few drinks beforehand and kept going off script, who knows? In any event, they were screwing up the phony trial. Jesus wasn’t helping them; He kept declining comment. There’s an old saying in politics: “When your opponent is self-destructing, get out of his way.” Jesus was staying out-of-the-way in this fiasco, until…
The high priest finally asks Jesus directly the critical question: “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
That did it, that’s what the high priest wanted to hear: blasphemy!
Jesus has assumed onto himself the rights or attributes of God in His reply, and under the Law, He must die for His crime… unless it had been a truthful answer. Because this was a high tribunal of the religious leaders, all of whom were genuinely interested in finding the Truth in holiness and all righteousness and propriety, did the high priest examine any facts that might substantiate Jesus’ claim?
Certainly not; he was only seeking an excuse to kill! Jesus was condemned immediately, spat upon and taken away and beaten.
Meanwhile, Peter, just outside in the courtyard, denied Jesus three times. (Mark 14:66-72) The next morning, the Jewish religious leaders, those great paragons of God’s Law and the supremacy of everything Jewish, take Jesus to the unclean Gentile dogs and beseech them to murder an innocent man, sent by God to deliver them.
The ancient city of Sardis was built at the top of a very steep hill. Its defensive position was thought to be impregnable, for there was only one small access point which was easily defended, and as a result, its inhabitants were proud and over confident. It was the capital of Lydia because of its invulnerability to attack; oh yes, the people there were over confident. We have quite a few ancient records of the persecution of the church in Asia Minor, but the funny thing is that Sardis is never mentioned, for it would seem that the church there never bothered anybody enough to be persecuted.
Here’s another funny thing about Sardis, the impregnable fortress of a city: It was conquered in 549 BC in a night surprise attack… and again in 218 BC. Apparently, all had been forgotten by the time John wrote these words down, because Jesus hints at another kind of surprise in store for them.
To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
Preamble (3:1b)
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
The seven spirits (or sevenfold spirit) represents the wholeness or fullness of the Spirit: the Holy Spirit, The stars represent the messengers (angels) of God.
Historical Prologue (3:1c, 2b, 4a)
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead… or I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God… Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.
You will have noticed that the covenant elements of this letter aren’t as neatly distinguished from one another as they are in most of the other letters, but they are present nonetheless. The Sardis church has a good reputation, they seem to be in good shape by all outward appearances, but in reality, they are dead. This shouldn’t be overly challenging for us to understand, because it well describes the modern church in an awful lot of places. They have wonderful services, they maintain grand old traditions and say all the right things, but the love, the light and the life are simply not there. Yet even in the midst of such a congregation, there are a few who have not become stagnant, who have not become overconfident and who are spiritually alive.
Stipulation (6:2a, 3a)
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die… Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.
Curse (3:3b)
But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
This is a common theme in the New Testament; look at Matt. 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thess. 5:2, 4; 2 Pet. 3:10 and Revelation 16:15. All of these liken Christ’s return to the surprise of a thief in the night, who pops in when you least expect it. He could come at any time without warning which puts to bed any thought that there will be a bunch of signs to announce the imminence of His return as so many modern commentators would suggest. The message therefore is “Wake up and get ready.”
Blessing (3:4b-5)
They will walk with me, dressed in white,for they are worthy.The one who is victoriouswill, like them, be dressed in white.I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life,but will acknowledge that name before my Fatherand his angels.
White is the color of purity or holiness, so those clothed in white will be pure in God’s sight at the time of His coming, as opposed to those in dirty clothes that bear the stains of sin. These are the ones who were ready, who remained awake in their faith and in their spirit; they were not over confident, and they reap the reward of eternal life.
Witnesses (3:6)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Letter to Philadelphia
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
Preamble (3:7b)
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
The “key” is the symbol of authority, the ability to open and shut, to go where others cannot go, and to do what others cannot do. In 1:18 Jesus had the keys to death and Hades; He can open the grave, to open the door of death and release people from its grip. John calls the key the “key of David”, a phrase taken from Is. 22:22, because it is held by the Messiah, the “son of David”. Jesus of course is the ultimate King of Israel and carries with Him the ultimate kingly authority.
Historical Prologue (3:8-9)
I know your deeds.See, I have placed before you an open doorthat no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan,who claim to be Jews though they are not,but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feetand acknowledge that I have loved you.
The church in Philadelphia may not have been big, rich and powerful in the earthly sense, but even when tested they have remained faithful to the Lord; in this they are an example for us to follow. They have been opposed by the Jews in their city, those who refuse to follow God’s Son, their Messiah, and God will deal with the situation in due course.
Blessing (3:9-10)
I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan,who claim to be Jews though they are not,but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feetand acknowledge that I have loved you.Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep youfrom the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole worldto testthe inhabitants of the earth.
For the sake of clarity, I have included verse 9 again here as it is both historical context and blessing. Verse 10 is taken in various ways by various commentators based upon their view of the entire book of Revelation, and as always, you are free to choose which view you prefer. I will offer my thoughts after verse 12.
Stipulation (3:11)
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Jesus’ stipulation for Philadelphia is just as relevant for us today as it was in the late first century: Hold on to what you have in Christ so that no one can take your (victor’s) crown.
Blessing (3:12)
The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
This letter is unique; it has no criticism of the church, it has no curse, and it has two blessings. Many commentators over the years have attributed this to the notion that Philadelphia is “the city of brotherly love”. Maybe so, but the text doesn’t say it. In fact the whole brotherly love connection has to do with the relationship of the pagan king who established the city and his brother almost 200 years before this. As I see it, the reason for the success of this church is simply that they were faithful to Christ. Looking at the blessings, I would offer these thoughts:
First, the church at Philadelphia will triumph over its accusers, the Jews of the city who oppose them. This may take place as their oppressors come to accept Christ in the future, and it may come when the Great Day arrives and they see the enormity of their error. In either case, the church in Philadelphia will hold to the truth, come what may. Second, it will be kept safe through the hour of trial. Third, they will become pillars in God’s temple. In this, they will be forever in
God’s presence, since the Temple represents God’s dwelling place. Remember, David desired to build God’s earthly Temple in Jerusalem, but he was prevented from doing so by his sin. The overcomers in Philadelphia will be a part of God’s heavenly Temple. Finally, Christ will write upon the conquerors the name of God and the name of the new city of God, the New Jerusalem; they will receive the gift of eternal life in the household of God.
Witnesses (3:13)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Letter to Laodicea
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
Laodicea was a proud and wealthy city situated near a famous hot spring; it was known as a place of cures. It would appear that even the people in the church were proud and wealthy, quite a contrast to the others we have seen. The truth, however, was different, for Laodicea had serious problems. As we go through the letter, you will notice that Jesus has no commendation for Laodicea, as He found nothing deserving a compliment. Many readers might suggest that Laodicea best represents the church of modern times and those who prefer a dispensational approach will say that ours is definitely the period of Laodicea. Before we are too quick to sign on to this view, I must point out that dispensationalists have been misidentifying their historical period as “Laodicea” for over a thousand years now as the time frames are re-adjusted every hundred years or so. It is much more likely that the seven letters and the seven churches are representative of the church as a whole through all of the ages, and that you can find similarities and differences in local congregations with all of the letters, in all times.
Preamble (3:14b)
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation
The “Amen” is an unusual title for Jesus, but it makes sense when we consider the meaning of the word: It means “truly” or “so be it”. Consider 2 Cor. 1:20 where Paul adds the “yes” or the “amen” to the promise of God, which makes it true.
Historical Prologue (3:15, 17)
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!… You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
If you lived in a city in which the economy was built around a curative hot spring, this “lukewarm” reference might well gain your attention. If the water wasn’t hot, it will lose its curative feature. If it isn’t cold, it isn’t even refreshing to drink; it’s just water… blah… and you lose everything. Because of their wealth, they thought all was well; they had life under control: How often we fall into this trap! Their spiritual condition, however, was pathetic.
Curse (3:16)
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth
It looks to me that Jesus had had just about enough of their arrogance.
Stipulation (3:18-20a)
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,so you can become rich; and white clothesto wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.So be earnest and repent.Here I am! I stand at the doorand knock.
Laodicea, in addition to its famous hot spring, was well known for the dark wool garments produced there and the eye salve produced in its medical school. Here, Jesus uses the images along with gold refined by fire, which is a symbol of the regal authority of God, in the stipulation. They were to exchange their earthly wealth for the far greater wealth that God could provide. They were to find white clothes, symbolizing purity and in essence, to clothe themselves with Christ, instead of relying upon earthly position, wealth and finery. They were to open their eyes and see their true peril. Jesus stands at the door and bids them to let Him into their lives; into their congregation, where it would seem He hadn’t been particularly welcome in quite some time.
To put this in a simple way, they must repent of their old ways, and let Jesus in. Also, notice that Jesus has given them this stipulation as an act of love. He has no wish that any harm should befall this errant church; rather He wants them to repent while there is still time for them.
Blessing (3:20b-21)
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,I will come inand eat with that person, and they with me.
To the one who is victorious,I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,just as I was victoriousand sat down with my Father on his throne.
Christ offers this church an open invitation for relationship, a covenant relationship. This is what is symbolized here in the eating together. It is hard not to think of the Messianic Banquet in this context also, for ultimately the ones who repent and overcome will enter into that great feast.
Witnesses (3:22)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches
At this point, the first of Revelation’s seven visions concludes; the second begins in 4:1.
From the beginning of the book, Mark has taken us on the Kingdom Tour. He began with John’s announcement that the Kingdom is at hand, and then proceeded with Jesus preaching the Kingdom throughout the countryside. As we have gone through this process, we’ve seen how Jesus demonstrated, by both word and deed, what the coming Kingdom of Heaven would be all about, and how once the Kingdom came, nothing would ever be the same again. We’ve also seen that the powers and authorities within the Jewish establishment opposed the Kingdom at every opportunity, along with demonic forces, creating a formidable alliance. Now, Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem for the final climax of His ministry. He has just completed an entire day of battle in the Temple Court and has pronounced God’s judgment on the current corrupt system in the “seven woes” pronounced upon the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew 23 and at the end of Mark 12.
Chapter 13 opens right after Jesus’ judgments were pronounced, as He and the disciples were once again leaving the Temple area. They walked across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple Mount, and the disciples ask Him a question along the way: ‘As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”’ (v. 1) As you can clearly see, the subject is the Temple and magnificent buildings.
Jesus gave a curious reply: ‘“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”’ In giving His response, Jesus specifically told them the Temple itself will be destroyed. The Temple being destroyed would have been a shocking thing to any Jewish person of that time, for the Temple was the center of Jewish life, culture and even of the Nation itself, for it is the dwelling place of God Himself on earth; the disciples were concerned. Privately some of the disciples ask: ‘“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”’ (v. 4) Did you catch that? They want to know when the Temple will be destroyed and what the signs will be when the time is near for this to happen. In Matthew’s account, they also ask what the signs of Jesus’ coming will be, but that isn’t asked here.
With all this context set, the answer in verses 5-31 is the answer regarding the Temple, and not as some suggest, about the end of the world or the second coming. V. 32 f.f. deal with the second coming, but we can only tell that by studying Matthew’s account.
Since this is only a general overview based upon context, we might ask ourselves if this fits in with Mark’s wider Kingdom context, and the answer to that is a strong and clear “Yes!” All along we’ve been seeing that everything was about to change entirely, but this change would not only be a theological or abstract change. The old Jewish kingdom was an earthly one, with earthly observances and physical manifestations, rules and ceremonies. The new kingdom was to be a heavenly one that fulfills the illustrations and “types” of the old, bringing about an entirely new system, the New Covenant. You will recall that at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross, the Temple veil was torn in two. Remember also that this veil was the separation between Man and God, the separation that sealed off the Holy of holies, God’s dwelling place within the Temple into which no one could enter, except the High Priest once a year, and then only after following the prescribed protocols. It was torn open, for by the blood of Christ, there was no longer a separation between Man and God… you could say that the Spirit of God moved to a new address at that time, and that His new address would be within the hearts of His followers, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, an act that made the old physical Temple obsolete.
When the Spirit came on Pentecost, this gospel was first preached to the Jews, and later to the whole world, and after a reasonable time, the Temple itself was destroyed removing all vestiges of the old system.
Yes, I would have to conclude that this story is entirely consistent with Mark’s larger historical context, and central to Christian theology and understanding of our relationship with God in this age.
Ephesus was a great city; a transportation and commercial hub, and the home of the great temple of Diana. As the recipient of one of Paul’s epistles the church there had quite a rich history when this letter was dictated.
“To the angelof the church in Ephesuswrite:
Preamble (2:1b)
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Jesus describes Himself here by mentioning that He has the seven messengers (angels) in His hand, the whole number of God’s messengers are in His hand, and He walks among the seven churches of Asia, and the whole of His Body. This is of special significance to Ephesus because they have had a problem with “false apostles” (2:2) and have resisted them. Jesus, in this letter, is sending them His true message.
Historical Prologue (2:2-4, 6)
I know your deeds,your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have testedthose who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name,and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
… But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Ephesus has a great history, and Jesus recognizes it here; their hard work for the Gospel, their endurance and resistance to false teaching and their sacrifices for His sake; they have been a lampstand shining forth the light of the Gospel in a dark world… but they have forgotten their first love. So many churches today have this problem; they work hard, they mean well, but in all of their toil, they forget their first love: Jesus.
Jesus addresses this immediately, inserting His warning in verse 5 which we’ll cover shortly, but in verse 6 He eases His rebuke as He wraps up the historical prologue; they have hated the practices of the Nicolaitans. Opinions vary relative to this group, but it appears likely that they represent the heretical group who were followers of Baal and Jezebel; in any case, we will come across them again in Revelation.
Stipulation (2:5a)
Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
This takes the form of a covenant stipulation, a command that is to be kept. They are to repent and to once again put their relationship (love for) with Jesus first and foremost.
Curse (2:5b)
If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
In a Biblical covenant, a curse is as much a promise as is a blessing. A blessing is a promise for keeping the terms or stipulations of the covenant; a curse is a promise of what will happen if you don’t. Jesus has given Ephesus a stipulation, and if they don’t keep it, their lampstand will be taken away; the church will no longer be present. You are free to draw whatever conclusion from this you like, but there is no church in Ephesus today, nor has there been for many, many centuries.
Witness (2:7a)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Notice the plural: Each of these epistles is to be read to all of the churches, and they are the witnesses to the covenant renewal, just as the people were in Joshua’s day.
Blessing (2:7b)
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
If a curse is a negative promise, then a blessing is a positive promise, and the positive promise to Ephesus is that if they overcome, they will have the right to eat of the tree of life, which is to say that they will receive eternal life with Christ. Notice the conditional nature of this promise; they must “overcome” something. To overcome is to conquer, and Jesus overcame the world. We also are to overcome the world, but that doesn’t mean we will rule the world, it means that we will overcome its temptations and trials that seek to pull us away from our first love, which is Jesus.
The Letter to Smyrna
Smyrna was the rival of Ephesus, a great and beautiful city built on the slopes rising out of the sea. Its buildings were a sight to behold and it was the most loyal of allies to Rome. Later it would be the scene of the martyrdom of Polycarp…
To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
Preamble (2:8b)
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
Historical Prologue (2:9)
I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
The people suffered from poverty, extreme poverty. The believers had discovered that following Christ meant a serious sacrifice economically; they were thrown out of their employment for being Christian, they were often hungry and destitute, but they were still rich in grace and in the glorious hope of their secure future in Christ. (cf. Matt. 6:20; 19:21; Luke 12:21).
They were under constant attack by accusing Jews; you might compare these words to those found in Acts 13:50; 14:2, 5, 19; 17:5; 24:1. Those Jews, hardened as they were, probably believed they were the synagogue of God, but it is not God who is “the accuser of our brethren”, no, they were doing the bidding of none other than Satan.
Stipulation (2:10a)
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death
The stipulation here is in the form of an exhortation; they will be imprisoned, they will suffer, they might be killed, and look who is behind all of this: The Devil himself. Satan is making use of the accusing Jews and the governing Romans to put them to the test in his effort to break the church of Jesus Christ… as was his pattern at that time. The real point or stipulation here is that they should remain faithful, even if that should cost them their very lives. The good news is that this intense persecution will only last for a short time. The “ten days” is not to be understood as ten calendar days, as we all know, for 10 is two handfuls, a short but definite period of time. This is often used as an encouragement for perseverance in Scripture; see Is. 26:20; 54:8; Matt. 24:22; 2 Cor. 4:17; 1 Pet. 4:6.
Witnesses (2:11a)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Blessing (2:10b, 11b))
and I will give you life as your victor’s crown
The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
The “victor’s crown” refers to the wreath of the victor in ancient athletic contests and it symbolizes eternal life here. The “second death” symbolizes perdition. Thus, the one who keeps the stipulation and remains faithful may die in the body, but will live forever victorious with Christ.
Please note that there is no curse here; Jesus has found no fault with the church in Smyrna.
The Letter to Pergamum
Pergamum was the Roman capital of Asia, the seat of Roman authority and of Emperor Worship. It was also the center for the worship of the Roman god of healing that was symbolized by a serpent, an image you might recognize today as being connected with healing. Pergamum was also the home of the great altar to Zeus.
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
Preamble (2:12b)
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
Notice the way Jesus is described as the one wielding the sharp two-edged sword (the Word of God)
Historical Prologue (2:13-15)
I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idolsand committed sexual immorality.Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
We begin here with quite a commendation; even though this congregation is located in the city where none other than Satan has his throne, they have remained faithful to the name of Christ. Commentators differ on what is meant by the reference to the throne of Satan being present in the city, but one thing is clear; these brothers and sisters were holding valiantly to the truth in the face of heavy opposition. Even so, there were compromises being made, and this was a serious problem. They allowed worshippers of Balaam and Nicolaitans in their midst, with the associated behaviors, and that must be put to an end. My only comment to that is that it should give us food for thought as we look at what is going on today in our midst.
Stipulation (2:16a)
Repent therefore!
Curse (2:16b)
Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
If they do not either cause the offenders to repent or put them out of the congregation, the Lord would take action “with the sword of my mouth”. Yes, it’s a curious thing to say, but let’s not rush by too quickly. The sword represents the Word of God that proceeds from His mouth; that is the mouth of the Word who became flesh. This doesn’t mean Jesus will throw a Bible at anyone, nor does it mean that He is going to start yelling. What it does mean is that the Word of God is pure power; it is what caused the universe to come into existence, and it is what holds all of creation together. The people He is referring to are like wolves in the sheep pen, and Jesus our Good Shepherd will do what is necessary to protect those of the flock who have remained faithful to Him in such difficult circumstance. By telling them this, however, He is giving everyone involved the chance to correct the problems on their own before He steps in.
I’m thinking that should serve as food for thought as well!
Witnesses (2:17a)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Blessing (2:17b)
To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
This one isn’t so easy to understand. In the interests of brevity, those who receive “hidden manna” are servants of the Lord who will have a seat at His banquet table in the Kingdom. White and black stones were used in the Greco-Roman world when a jury cast its vote for the guilt or innocence of a defendant: White was for innocent, black for guilty. A white stone here would be indicative of being innocent on the Day of Judgment, i.e. having our sins taken away. When combined with the “new name known only to the one who receives it” we have symbolized the Christians of Pergamum being set free entirely from those who oppress and persecute them.
On that fateful Tuesday, Jesus has fought off three waves of attack from Jewish authorities who each peppered Him with questions designed to entrap Him into a mistake they could use as a pretense to arrest and kill Him. Now, Jesus moves to counter-attack.
His opening salvo comes in the form of a question in verse 35: “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?
To be fair, the teachers of the law were not wrong about the Messiah being the son of David in the sense that Messiah would clearly be of the House of David, the royal house of Israel, the house of kings. So, while they were technically correct as legalists usually are, they missed the larger point that Messiah would also be the Son of God, here on earth to establish an entirely new kind of kingdom; one that is not of this world at all.
David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
“‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
Mark 12:36; c.f. Psalm 110:1
Take careful notice of this statement of Jesus, for many in our time seem to miss its ultimate significance. Jesus is making the point that David himself in the Psalm refers to this Messiah as “lord” and the son is not the lord over his father; it’s the other way around under the Law (Honor your father and mother). Therefore, the Messiah is not merely of the clan of David, because He is also the Son of God, and being God’s Son entirely supersedes the fact that He is of the House of David.
Here’s an example of this relationship: Suppose the president had a son who was also a brigadier general. Everyone calls the son “general” and he receives the honor and respect of that rank. If a brigadier general walks up to the northwest gate of the White House, and his name is not on the guest list, he is turned away. If the son of the president walks up to the gate, he is always admitted because he is the president’s son, for being the president’s son supersedes his military rank when it comes to access to the president. So also does the fact that Jesus is the Son of God supersede His rank in the House of David.
Probably for all of the wrong reasons, the crowd was delighted.
Jesus denounced the teachers of the law in this brief passage. His bill of particulars contains several charges:
They dress richly and expect to receive respect from the people.
They expect to get the best seats at public gatherings.
They “devour widows’ houses.”
They make long public prayers for show.
The other accounts add the Pharisees to this indictment, and Matthew records the seven woes here, while Mark as usual, is pithy. Consider what Jesus is accusing them of. Oh yes, He is calling them colossal hypocrites, but look at the priority system of these “righteous” and “religious” men. They want, more than anything else apparently, to be honored, respected and powerful. It is doubtful whether or not they care at all about their relationship with God, or about being faithful to Him; they are altogether worldly in their outlook in spite of their pious exteriors. They are using their lofty religious positions for personal advancement, and in the end, they will rue the day they started down this path.
Let’s not get too carried away throwing stones at the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, and let’s also not get too carried away with looking for the Pharisees in our midst, even though there are many, for this passage is within a larger context. This larger context runs through the entire chapter, and the climax and application is in the last few verses…
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:41-44
Parallel Text: Luke 21:1-4
Chapter 12 has been a chapter of battle with Jesus prevailing over three waves of attack. The battle takes the form of a verbal combat between two different value systems, but the more important reality about all of this is our discernment of the fact that the real fight wasn’t a verbal one, but a spiritual one between two opposing powers.
In the last section, Mark 12:35-40, Jesus took the offensive against His real foe, and pronounced God’s coming final judgment on the Enemy, and as I mentioned last time, Matthew really brings this divine judgment into focus in Matthew 23. Here in these few verses, we see the very same spiritual forces at work vying for the hearts of men and women, even though no one speaks. Jesus did not speak to any crowd, but spoke only privately as a Master speaks to His disciples.
Consider the parallels between the wealthy folks here, tossing large amounts of coinage into the pots, clanking loudly so that everyone can see their display of worldly position and success as they part with tiny fractions of their incomes in a demonstration of “piety”, with the Pharisees, Sadducees, priests and teachers of the law and their flowing fancy garments, arrogance and false demonstrations of “piety”. Contrast all of this with the poor widow who gives everything she has to God.
To an onlooker, the situation of the “pious” well to do seems to show great favor from God, but it is only outward and worldly, thus it may not be of God at all, for He is not impressed by the outward grandeur of this world.
No! The poor widow is the one who has received God’s favor! She isn’t playing the world’s game, and so she may be poor in worldly terms, but she is rich in faith, a faith that will see her through hard times and ensure her place in eternity while all of those who so value their worldly positions suffer the consequences for their foolish and selfish behavior.
This chapter was not written, in my view, to show us that Jesus was smarter than the other guys, nor was it written to show us that He was a better debater. It was written to instill in us the truth that Jesus came to establish a whole new kind of kingdom, one that is not of this world, one that is in opposition to this world. It was written so that we might understand that if we intend to follow Jesus, our attitudes must change, our priorities must change, and that in our daily lives this world needs to decrease and His Kingdom increase. In order for this to take place, we must let go of the notion that Jesus will someday return to establish a kingdom in and of this world, for His Kingdom is not, has never been and never will be of this world.
Note:These are study notes for a Bible Study I am having with a local study group on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 1-3.
Introduction
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gavehim to show his servants what must soon take place.He made it known by sending his angelto his servant John,who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it,because the time is near.
Revelation 1:1-3
Revelation follows very closely the typical format of a first century Hellenistic letter, as so many other New Testament letters do. Accordingly, it begins with a prologue that covers 1:1-20; and is introduced in verses1-3 above. Verse 1 is critical because it gives us our first insight into the subject of the book, and in doing so; it also brings our first controversy.
A literal translation of the first three words would be: “Revelation Jesus Christ”. Obviously, that doesn’t really work in English which requires an article and preposition. Most every English translation uses the definite article “The” to begin the sentence, but the choice of preposition is more of a challenge. Normally, context would determine which to use, but in the first three words of the document, there hasn’t been an obvious context established, in fact this sentence is the beginning of establishing that very context, with the result being that we must determine context backwards; a touchy business. The “new” NIV and some other more recent translations, uses the word “from”. The KJV, NASB and “old” NIV, along with most older translations, used the word “of”. Can you see why this might have some ramifications down the line?
What exactly is it that is being revealed here: Jesus Christ or what will soon come to pass… or both?
As we continue through our study, I think you will come to agree with me that revealing Jesus Christ also reveals what will come to pass because in so many respects, they cannot be separated. Next, we see the methodology in play; God gave a message to Jesus, who gave it to an angel to deliver to John, and John in turn is writing it down for us. John testifies to the accuracy of the message he has received, which is the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. This is an interesting little twist, because on the one hand there is an angel bearing a message, and on the other, when we get into the actual vision, Jesus speaks directly to John. As you will also see, this happens more than once in the book.
As for “what must soon take place” I would remind you once again that the time perspective is 90 something AD, not necessarily the 21st century; please keep that in mind as we go, it will save you a great deal of confusion.
This brings us to verse 3: Blessed is the one who reads this prophecy (Revelation) aloud to the church; remember that it was sent to the seven churches in Asia, and blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart. Here is an example that shows us why keeping the time reference is so important to our understanding. If this book was written for our time, as many suggest that it was, then what would be the blessing for people for almost 2,000 years, who have nothing to do with what is being written? Maybe they would be blessed by the few verses about their own church, and maybe it would be a blessing to know that thousands of years later Jesus would finally come back…
Doesn’t it sound like quite a bit more is involved for the original readers and hearers than that? I think this is particularly the case when you drop in the remainder of the sentence: because the time is near. This is not the place to chime in and say that time is irrelevant to God… because God was not the one hearing the words of the prophecy.
OK, there is the introduction to think about.
Extra Topic: The Hellenistic Letter Format of the First Century
When we write a letter, we normally follow a certain culturally accepted format; we first write the name and address of the sender and recipient, then there is a greeting such as “Dear John”, followed by the body of the letter, and then a closing greeting like “Sincerely yours”. In the Hellenized culture of the first century Roman world, there was a different format: I’ll list the typical letter format along with examples of it from 1 Corinthians and Philemon:
Name of sender(s): 1 Cor. 1:1; Phlm. 1a
Name of recipients: 1 Cor. 1:2; Phlm. 1b-2
Prescript (which is a form of greeting): 1 Cor. 1:3; Phlm. 3
Proem (which is a prayer, thanks or petition to a god): 1 Cor. 1:4-9; Phlm. 4-7
Introduction (which usually transitions into the main subject): 1 Cor. 1:10; Phlm. 8-9
Main Body: 1 Cor. 1:11-16:18; Phlm. 10-22
Final Greetings: 1 Cor. 16:19-20; Phlm.
Final words (often in writer’s own hand): 1 Cor. 16:21-24; Phlm. 25
It is not uncommon for New Testament letters to omit one or two of these, but they normally have most of these elements, and Revelation is no exception. These are useful to identify because they help us to recognize context in our reading, and thus to recognize the priority of any given section, should that become an issue in properly understanding it. For example, if we see a definite topic set out in the introduction, and then come across something that is way off-topic, we will not be tempted to let it change our understanding of the context of the rest of the letter; we will see it as an aside.
Revelation falls into the letter format this way:
Name of sender(s): Rev. 1:4 a
Name of recipients: Rev.1:4b
Prescript: Rev. 1:4c-5a
Proem: Rev. 1:5b-8
Introduction: Rev. 1:9
Main Body: Rev. 1:10-22:20
Final Greetings: not found in Revelation
Final words: Rev. 22:21
Revelation: The Prelude
John,
To the seven churchesin the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to youfrom him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spiritsbefore his throne,and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,the firstborn from the dead,and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves usand has freed us from our sins by his blood,and has made us to be a kingdom and prieststo serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come,the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:4-8
John is beginning to get down to business in these four verses, at least in the sense of the letter writing of his day. He gives his name in 4a, the recipients in 4b, then his prescript in 4c-5a, and finally his proem in 5b-8. I am taking pains to point this out here in Revelation, because I want us to keep in mind what we are reading; we have NOT gotten to the visions yet!
That is not to say that there is nothing to learn here; far from it. Take a look at 4c-5a:
Grace and peace to youfrom him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spiritsbefore his throne,and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,the firstborn from the dead,and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Grace and peace for he who is, was and is to come is a reference to the God the Father. The “seven spirits” (or sevenfold spirit as the footnote says) is a reference to the Holy Spirit, and of course Jesus is the Son, thus his greeting is from the fullness of the Godhead. Look how Jesus is described: Faithful witness, firstborn and ruler of the kings of the world. We will see these things over and over through the book… and let’s be sure to take notice of who is in charge.
The proem is also quite wonderful in Revelation. In 5b-6, we have John as the speaker. Verse 7 is made up of 2 prophetic quotations, first in 7a John quotes Daniel 7:13, and in 7b he quotes Zechariah 12:10.Finally, in verse 8, Jesus introduces Himself. From all of this, we get a good sense of where the letter is heading.
In 4c-5a, we have “who” is now sending greetings. In 5b-7 we see what will ultimately come to pass, and in verse 8 we have Jesus as He is and will continue to be as He presides over what transpires from now on into the future.
Jesus in the Midst of His Church
Revelation 1:9-16
John begins his story by setting his location on the island of Patmos where he had been exiled for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week. He was “in the Spirit” when suddenly… (1:9-10a)
He hears from behind him a voice “like a trumpet”. It wasn’t a trumpet literally, but it was “like” a trumpet; it was a really loud voice that said, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (1:10b-11). He turns, and what unfolds before him is a vision of wonder!
He was no longer seeing his physical surroundings, he wasn’t seeing anything literal, he was seeing a very meaningful and communicative vision provided to him for instructive purposes, and he had been ordered to write it down so we too could “see” it too.
He sees seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of those lampstands John sees his beloved Savior on whom he had reclined, yes, he John, the one whom His Savior had loved, was seeing his Savior again after all these years and all that had happened in the interim. Can you imagine what John must have felt at that moment? (1:12-13a) How different Jesus looked now in His glory…
and among the lampstandswas someone like a son of man,dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace,and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.In his right hand he held seven stars,and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.His face was like the sunshining in all its brilliance.
Revelation 1:13-16
As you read these amazing verses, don’t get hung up on the details; take it all in as one glorious vision of Jesus Christ. For example, a guy with a sword coming out of his mouth is a bit disturbing, but remember this is not a literal description, that sword is the Word of God proceeding from the mouth of Jesus, the Word who was made flesh. Each of these descriptive elements tells us something about our Lord. Actually, they have all come from the Old Testament; see the chart below…
Revelation Description
Old Testament Parallel
Robe reaching down to His feet 13
Priestly dignity EX 28:31, 39ff Majesty of God IS 6:1
Golden sash around His chest 13
Of the priests EX 39:29 Of the angels Dan 10:5
Head and hair white like wool 14
Description of God Dan 7:9
Eyes like blazing fire 14
Characteristics of the angel in Dan 10:6
Feet like bronze glowing in a furnace 15
Like the cherubim of EZ 1:7 Like the angel of Dan 10:6
Voice like the sound of rushing waters 15
Described along with the glory of God EZ 43:2
Seven stars in His right hand 16
“Those who lead many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars for ever and ever” Dan 12:3
Sharp double edged sword out of His mouth 16
Prophecy about the messianic servant of the Lord IS 49:2 (Note also Heb. 4:12)
Face like the sun shining in its brilliance 16
The brilliant light surrounding the glory of God EZ 1:28 (Note also the brilliant appearance of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration MT 17:21)
Here our Lord is reigning in His glory, pictured as being clothed in majesty and power; awesome to behold. The brightness of the scene shows Him surrounded by the awesome glory of the truth of God, His eyes of fire, that pierce into every heart, and every dark place, seeing all, those mighty glowing feet ready to trample His Enemy under foot, His loud voice booming like the rushing waters as the very Word of God proceeds from His lips, for God in His full glory is too much for us to see! There He stands in the very midst of His Church.
This vision of Christ must have been a shock for John; it might make us a bit uncomfortable too. Yet this is still our Jesus, the one who loved John, the one against whom John reclined… the one we love, and who loves us, the one we spend so many precious and intimate moments with.
Extra Topic: The Significance of Numbers in Revelation
We’ve already seen that the number seven is especially significant in Revelation. You may be assured that it is not the only significant number we will come across. Thus I thought it might be helpful to run through some of the others for your review…
Two is the number of valid witness. It has its roots in Deuteronomy 19:15 where at least two witnesses are required to establish factual testimony in a court of law.
Three is frequently used to refer to God. Its roots are to be found in such passages as Isaiah 6:3 where God accepts the threefold worship of the seraphim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty….” Christian writers often see Trinitarian connotations in the number, since it reflects the number of Persons in the Godhead: Father, Son and Spirit.
Four is often connected with creation or the world, and it goes back to things like “the four corners of the earth” (Ez. 7:2 cf. Rev. 7:1), or “four quarters of the earth” (Is. 11:12), or the “four winds” (Jer. 49:36; Ez. 7:9; Zech. 6:5; Dan. 7:2; cf. Matt. 24:31; Mark 13:27; Rev. 7:1) i.e. north, south, east and west comprising the whole of creation.
Five the number of fingers on the human hand describes a “handful” or a “few”.
Ten likewise represents two handfuls; a few. Neither 5 nor 10 should be understood literally in apocalyptic writing.
Seven is the number of completeness, wholeness or perfection. It can also bring with it a connotation of “goodness” or “moral completion” as something might be thought to be perfect or righteous in God’s sight. However, the dominant understanding of the number is not moral perfection, but whole or complete. The origins of this are found in Old Testament texts such as Genesis 1-2 where seven represents a “whole” or “complete” week.
Six doesn’t quite measure up to seven, for it is not quite complete; it represents something less that perfection, something that isn’t whole. Thus, it reflects “imperfection” and sometimes may refer to something evil.
Twelve often represents the number of God’s faithful people. In Jewish apocalypses,it represents faithful Jews, in Christian apocalypses, it refers to faithful Christians. In certain contexts, it represents all of God’s faithful ones from both Testaments. Its origin is found in the 12 tribes of Israel and in the 12 disciples/Apostles of Christ.
Multiples of these numbers are sometimes used to describe the full number of whatever is being symbolized. For example the number 1,000 (10 X 10 X 10) represents a large but definite number of something. 144,000 (12 X 12 X 1,000) represents the full number of God’s people.
As we continue through the text, we will discuss numbers more as we encounter them.
Jesus and John
John’s vision of Jesus in the midst of His church is a striking one, for such power, majesty and glory is almost beyond human comprehension, and John reacted to it in a way that is probably much like any one of us might have reacted; he fell on his face as though dead. But this was Jesus, and John was the disciple He loved…
When I saw him, I fell at his feetas though dead. Then he placed his right hand on meand said:“Do not be afraid.I am the First and the Last.I am the Living One; I was dead,and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 1:17-18
The most notable thing about these 2 verses for me is Jesus putting His hand on John and saying “do not be afraid.” Jesus could have just barked the command, “do not be afraid” but He didn’t; He reached out and touched him first; it wasn’t a command not be afraid, it was an act of love and compassion… right in the middle of His glory and power and majesty.
That was the Jesus John had known; that is the Jesus we know.
Jesus went on to identify Himself as God, and yet right in the middle of His glory, identifying Himself as God, we see an element of the familiar, of relationship: I was dead,and now look; I am alive for ever and ever! Can you hear the familiar tone of excitement in the voice? Then He makes this point really jump out: And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Jesus had already used the keys of death and Hades (land of the dead) for His own benefit; why is He bringing them along now? For John’s benefit, for your benefit and for mine as well.
Yep, that’s the Jesus John knew, and the Jesus we know too.
“Write, therefore, what you have seen,what is now and what will take place later.The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstandsis this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Revelation 1:19-20
Verse 19 is significant because it gives the time reference for the rest of Revelation. John is to write what he has seen; we’ve just read it. John is to write what is now, which comes next in the text― the letters to the seven churches. John is to write what will take place later, and “later” begins in 4:1, just as soon as the letter writing is complete. Then Jesus tells John what the seven stars and the seven lampstands represent; the angels (messengers) to the churches, and the churches of Asia, respectively.
With that combination, we know what is coming in chapters 2 and 3 and that begins next time!
The second attack wave began later that same day. Jesus had already repulsed the attack of the Chief Priest, and this time, the Pharisees and their Herodian allies come at Him. As you recall, these two groups have been plotting to kill Jesus for some time now, and they have come to snare Him in a political trap.
“Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
Mark 12:14b-15a
The phrasing of this question is amateurish to say the least. First of all, they butter Him up a bit too much with the complimentary preamble to the actual question by saying that He is a teacher of the truth who cannot be swayed by anybody; He always sticks to the truth. Then they ask if it is lawful to pay the tax to Caesar; this is the real question. This is a terribly unpopular tax among the Jews because it isn’t honest, as we’ve covered before. It is also unpopular because it isn’t a tax imposed under Jewish law, but by a foreign occupying power. If Jesus wants to remain popular with the crowds, He must say “no.” However, if He does that, they will report Him to the Romans, and He will be taken away in chains and not heard from again. At this point, they make a tactical blunder when they ask the redundant question, “Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” Here’s a debating tip for you, any time you are asked a question followed by a redundancy that pins you down to a yes or no answer, a trap has been set; beware.
Jesus of course, is several steps ahead of them, and asks to see a Roman coin, asks them who is pictured there and whose inscription is on the coin and has now turned the tables on His attackers.
“Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
Mark 12:15c-17
Taking nothing away from Jesus’ quick thinking, these Pharisees and Herodians should stick to plotting and leave the confrontations to competent professionals, for even though they had set a trap, it is about the poorest excuse for a trap ever recorded, rising to the level of a child. Jesus was out of their snare with a simple request and had them checkmated in a one-liner.
He also taught something very important in the process… this was Jesus after all… and that is that our priority must be on the things of God and not on the things of this earth.
Jesus isn’t telling the people they should be thrilled to pay, nor is He making an endorsement of the Roman state; He is telling us to focus on God and the things of heaven.
At any rate, everyone was amazed at His answer, for once again Jesus’ perspectives were so entirely in opposition to their own perspectives that they hadn’t even considered that He might say what He did, for even then, following Jesus was entirely counter-intuitive, just as it is today.
On that busy day, Jesus came under assault first by the chief Priest, then by the Pharisees, and now the third wave of attacks, this time from the Sadducees and then the teachers of the law. First, the Sadducees:
The Sadducees don’t believe in a resurrection, so their trap is designed to get Jesus to either side with them, or wander into some kind of legal mistake, and frankly they ask a better question than the Pharisees did earlier. The flaw in their logic is this: If a man has several wives during his lifetime, and then rises from the grave at the last day and has multiple wives in heaven, that is one thing, but for a woman to have had multiple husbands, as can happen without any impropriety as they demonstrate, the thought of a woman with multiple husbands is just too shocking… so it must prove that there is no resurrection.
As a note, the Pharisees were the ones who believed in a resurrection, and their rivals were the Sadducees. Actually, the Pharisees were about the only ones in authority who believed in a general resurrection in the Jewish community at the time; it isn’t one of the promises of the Law. Could it be that the Sadducees secretly hoped to use Jesus’ popularity against the Pharisees?
In verses 24-25, Jesus disarms their presupposition about marriage in heaven… their straw man, really… and then in the remaining verses, blows their no resurrection views out of the water by simply observing that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a God of the living and not a God of the dead; sorry boys.
The Sadducees retreat and other teachers of the law advance in attack:
The teacher of the law who asked Jesus the next question had noticed that Jesus gave the Sadducees a good answer to their question, so he asked Jesus which of the commandments is most important, and it seems to me from Mark’s account that the man was actually asking an honest question; not to trick or trap Jesus but to find out what He would say. Of course, we all know the answer that Jesus gave in verses 29-31
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
What happens next is really interesting. The teacher speaks to Jesus as though Jesus were a bright pupil and compliments Him on His answer, and goes on to teach Jesus in verses 32-33
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Jesus told the man that he had answered wisely and that he wasn’t far from the Kingdom of God, for the man had told Jesus that the two greatest commandments were more important than all of the sacrifices.
The tide begins to turn in this battle, and Jesus is poised to take the offensive when we get together next time- see you then!
After Jesus’ discussion of the fig tree, He and the disciples enter the Temple courts and are observed by the priests and their entourage; the priests waste no time in challenging Him…
The Chief Priest demands to know by what authority Jesus is saying and doing the things He’s been up to, and I’m sure that His attack on their little Temple gold mine was foremost in their minds. Jesus, a tough customer, isn’t going to play their game, so He asks them a question of His own: By what authority did John the Baptist do what he did?
Pay close attention to verses 31-32 and look at their reasoning: Pure politics! They settled on “I don’t know” in an attempt to dodge the question, so Jesus told them that He wouldn’t answer them either. Notice in His wording that He fully recognized their dodge. The text tells us they feared the people who believed John, but they also must have known that John testified concerning the identity of Jesus; He really had them in a corner.
Then, remarkably, Jesus answers their question in a parable.
Parallel Texts: Isaiah 5:1-7; Matthew 21:33-46; Luke 20:9-19
The Chief Priest, the other priests, teachers, Pharisees and all the rest of them, knew exactly what Jesus was saying in the Parable of the Tenants; He was telling them the history of their people in a nutshell. Just as in Isaiah 5, the vineyard is Israel, they themselves are the tenants who beat and killed all of the servants God sent to them, yes, for those servants were the very prophets these guys talked about all the time. Now, God (the owner) has sent His Son to them, and they will kill Him too… and they will pay quite a price for their evil deeds.
Jesus finishes the parable off with a quote from Psalm 118 for good measure; they knew instantly who the “cornerstone” was… the stone the builders rejected. Jesus wasn’t going to play their games, but He was most assuredly speaking their language, and they were not pleased. It’s interesting don’t you think, that nobody stopped to consider the likelihood that Jesus was telling them the truth and offering them a way out of their jam.
At this point, they retreated. Jesus has fought off the first attack, but there were more coming, after all, it wasn’t even lunch time yet!
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