Lion and Lamb

This sermon is the second in my series on the good news that the book of Revelation offers us. Last week, I preached on the cosmic Christ -- the One who is in all places, at all times, and all things to all people. This morning, I consider what kind of Christ this One is.

Have you ever thought about why some things are funny and others aren’t? Why do some stories make you laugh, while others don’t even put a smile on your face? Many elements go into comedy; but one of those surely is the unexpected. We don’t laugh at what we expect to hear. Here’s an example of that. “Why did the chicken cross the road?” We’ve all heard that joke. The punch line, “To get to the other side” isn’t even much of a punch line any more. It just isn’t funny – except maybe to a first grader. But if I ask, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” you might laugh if I replied, “Because the chicken farmer was running behind it trying to catch it.” You didn’t expect that answer. Humor relies on the unexpected.

And so does its partner “wonder.” We only laugh at the joke that surprises us; and we are the most impressed by something that surprises us, as well. When people catch their first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains, they stand open-mouthed in awe at the mountains’ towering majesty. But the people who live in Colorado don’t think twice about those mountains. They see them every morning, day after day. The Rockies may be a marvel of creation, but even their beauty is old news after a while. They lose their ability to amaze the people who are too familiar with them.

Why am I talking about the way our reactions are influenced by what we expect? What does this have to do with the gospel? Just this – we have lost the “punch” of much of the gospel because we’re too familiar with it. Familiarity may not breed contempt; but it can sure breed yawns of boredom. This morning’s reading includes a great example of that.

This text from the book of Revelation (4:1-3; 5:1-10) is part of the first great vision that the author describes to us. As the book opened, he saw a vision of the cosmic Christ – the One who is everything at all times and in all places. (I preached about this text in last Sunday’s sermon.) But who exactly is this Christ? How does he behave as he functions as king, priest, Spirit-bringer, and, in the end, God himself? How will we know him when we search for his presence among us? There are, after all, a lot of descriptions of Jesus Christ in the gospels. Sometimes he is a compassionate healer, blessing the children and healing the sick. Other times, he is a brilliant debater, shredding the teaching of the Pharisees with a mind like a knife. And sometimes he is a wrathful warrior, upending the tables of the money-changers in the Temple. Which Christ will John the Revelator show us as he looks into heaven itself and sees the throne of God? The answer in the vision that he describes to us is meant to set us back on our heels with amazement. It is a breathtaking reversal, an image that shocks us with an unexpected twist, more unexpected than the ending of any O. Henry short story could ever be. And most of us miss the punch line.

It begins with a question: Who is worthy to break the seals of the scroll that God holds in his right hand? Who is worthy to open the scroll that holds God’s intention for all creation? Who is worthy to interpret the scriptures once and for all? The answer, not surprisingly, is no one except God’s Messiah, the Root of David – the Lion of the tribe of Judah. We turn our eyes, expecting to see a fierce beast, a warrior who holds a sword and a shield, perhaps even wielding a bolt of lightning. We expect to see a Christ who will take revenge on all those who have opposed him – the Lone Ranger and Batman and the Terminator all rolled into one. Wow, we think, people are sure going to be sorry now!

But that’s not what we see. We are stunned to see a lamb that has been sacrificed. Its wounds are still visible, and its wool is still matted with its own blood. This is the Lion of Judah? This is the warrior who is worthy to open the scroll and interpret its contents? Yes, indeed – this is the triumphant Messiah. This vision that offers a sacrificed lamb in place of a vengeful warrior is completely unexpected, even shocking.  We’re ready to see a Christ who whacks people upside the head, but we see a Christ who offers to be whacked. We expect a Christ who conquers through force, but God gives us a Christ who triumphs through humility.

We usually miss the impact of the image because we expect it. We know that Jesus is the Lamb of God. We learned it in Sunday school! But let’s imagine, just for a minute, how that image must have impacted the first-century Christians who first heard it. In the time when Revelation was written, the entire known world was under the thumb of the Roman Empire. The Romans weren’t known for their kindness and compassion. No, they prided themselves on keeping the peace by any means necessary. That meant suspicious Roman soldiers stationed anywhere and everywhere. It meant imprisonment on even a suspicion of wrongdoing, with no rights to a trial. It frequently meant row upon grim row of public crucifixions as an example to anyone who might even think about rebelling against the government. No wonder the Jews were awaiting a Messiah who would knock heads in the most effective way! “Just wait, you Romans,” they muttered. “Just wait until the Messiah gets here. He’ll fix your apples right enough!”

But the Lion of Judah turns out to be… a Lamb? Do you mean that the Messiah doesn’t conquer by force? Do you mean that Jesus isn’t going to ride into town with his six-shooters blazing and get rid of all the bad guys? Do you mean that he’s not going to take revenge on everyone who has ever hurt anybody else? Yes… that’s pretty much what John means.

What’s more, John is telling us in his vision that Christ is both Lion and Lamb at the same time. Christ isn’t either Lamb or Lion; he’s both at once! We don’t have to give up the Lion of Judah when we accept that Christ is the Lamb of God. Jesus is victorious over sin, evil, and death! The good news of the gospel wouldn’t be very good if we didn’t believe that, now would it? It’s how Jesus is victorious that is so hard for many people to accept.

I once heard an interview with Dr. John Dominic Crossan regarding this very issue. Dr. Crossan is a respected New Testament scholar who concentrates on the very beginnings of the Christian church. He commented that many people expect Jesus to return at the end of time and – excuse the language; it’s what Dr. Crossan said – to return at the end of time and “kick butt.” The trouble is that Jesus didn’t “kick butt” the first time. If he had, he would have come down from the cross and straightened things out. People who expect him to come back with a sword in his hand are saying, in effect, “Well, he didn’t get it right the first time. Maybe he’ll do better when he comes again.”

I, for one, am very grateful that Jesus didn’t decide to fulfill his role as the Lion of Judah through violence. After all, if he decided to take vengeance on everyone who opposes him, that would include me. It would include you, too. It would include everyone who has ever lived, Christian or not. Let’s face it, not one of us lives the way that God wants us to live. The Israelites didn’t. The disciples didn’t. The early church members didn’t. And we don’t, either. The Lion of Judah is victorious because, through his wisdom and compassion, he understands that we can’t live the way God wants us to live, no matter how hard we try! And so, in his humility, he does it for us. Now, that’s an almost impossible thing to wrap our heads around – almost as impossible as believing that the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God are one and the same person. Maybe, in the end, it’s just one of those things that we have to believe through faith, because our logic can’t handle it. And when we realize what Christ does for us – when we really realize it – it causes us to stop in wonder and amazement.

A recent hymn describes the Christ in beautiful language that sets the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God shoulder to shoulder with each other.

            You, Lord, are both Lamb and Shepherd.

            You, Lord, are both prince and slave.
            You, peacemaker and sword-bringer
             of the way you took and gave.
            You, the everlasting instant,
            You, whom we both scorn and crave.
    
            You, who walk each day beside us
            sit in power at God’s side.
            You, who preach a way that’s narrow
            have a love that reaches wide.
            You, the everlasting instant;
            You, who are our pilgrim guide.

            Worthy is our earthly Jesus!

            Worthy is our cosmic Christ!
            Worthy your defeat and victory.
            Worthy still your peace and strife.
            You, the everlasting instant;
            You, who are our death and life.

And may we never forget it. Amen.

The hymn “You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd” by Sylvia G. Dunstan is published in the Upper Room Worshipbook (Upper Room Books, 2006), Elise Eslinger, editor.