As glorious as the truth of the incarnation is, there is a danger inherent in the picture of Jesus walking in the dusty streets of Nazareth or teaching on the peaceful shores of Galilee. The danger is the temptation to reduce Jesus to beard and sandals. The risk we run is that we might limit and domesticate Him.
John inoculates us against this danger. He does so by describing Jesus in all His glorious majesty. Paul tells us that when Jesus came to earth, "He made Himself nothing" and "humbled Himself even to death", but now we can see Him in His fullest resurrection glory.
So what does John see?
1. Christ is _among_ the lampstands (i.e. with the church) (we discussed this yesterday...)
2. His robe and sash depict kingly and priestly majesty.
3. His head and hair suggest wisdom, purity and dignity.
4. The blazing eyes hint at omniscience, justice and purity.
5. Glowing bronze feet most probably indicate judgement.
6. His voice, like rushing waters, indicates power and glory.
7. The stars are messengers of the churches, held in His right hand show that He is in charge and interested in the leaders of the church.
8. The double-edged sword from His mouth reminds us the authority of His Word.
9. His face is glorious and majestic - and as happy as we are to see the sun after a dark night, John is happy to see the face of Christ.
This is a glorious picture and it challenges us never to domesticate Jesus. In the "Chronicles of Narnia", CS Lewis depicts Christ as Aslan the lion. In his story one of the characters says "Aslan is not a tame lion." To which someone responds "Is He safe?" And I love the response: "He isn't safe - but He's good!"
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
