And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. (Revelation 5:2-7, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Not merely no man, but no other being (“in heaven or on earth or under the earth”) was worthy. No saint in glory, no person on earth, no soul in the underworld of death, could take that book (“or even look inside it”). No one was worthy, meant that no one had the requisite power or authority (both were required) to open the book. In the ancient world, a title deed or will could only be opened by the appointed heir. In this case, the heir is Jesus Christ. John wept because he understood that God’s glorious plan for the redemption of mankind could never be fully completed until the scroll was opened.
There were three requirements to open the scroll: The redeemer had to be a near kin, the redeemer had to be willing to redeem, and the redeemer had to be able to redeem (kinsman redeemer). Jesus Christ is worthy because He is our kinsman redeemer. He became flesh to become our kinsman. Because He loved us He was willing to redeem us. He demonstrated this by paying a very high price that was required to redeem us.
The concept of kinsman redeemer is based on the Hebrew system of land ownership. If a man became poor and had to sell his land, it could be redeemed by the nearest kinsman who was also willing and able to purchase the property (see Jeremiah 32:6–15 and Leviticus 25:23–25). The story of Ruth and Boaz is based on this law. If the nearest kinsman was either unwilling of unable to redeem, the right passed to the next nearest kinsman.
Ever since the fall, all creation has been under bondage to sin, Satan, and death. But in “these last days” Christ became our kinsman redeemer to set creation free.
As we are created by Him in God’s image, Jesus is our nearest “relative.” Three unique titles are given to our Lord in this text that qualifies Him as kinsman redeemer.
- He is the “Lion of the tribe of Juda.” – This is a reference to Genesis 49:8–10, where Jacob prophetically gave the scepter to Judah and made it the tribe of the kings. God never meant for Saul, Israel’s first king, to establish a lasting dynasty, because he came from the tribe of Benjamin. God merely used him to discipline Israel because the people asked for a king. Afterwards, He gave the kingship to David who was from the tribe of Judah. The imagery of the lion is symbolic of dignity, sovereignty, courage, and victory. The Gospels prove that He is an heir to this kingship (offspring of David) by recording his genealogy. Son of David was a title often used of Jesus when He was ministering on earth (see Matthew 1).
- He is the “Root of David” – This means He brought David (and David’s line) into existence. He preceded David. As far as His humanity is concerned, Jesus was the offspring, having His roots in David (Isaiah 11:1, 10). But as far as His deity is concerned, Jesus is the Root of David. This speaks, of course, of our Lord’s eternality. He is the “Ancient of Days.” How the Messiah could both be David’s Lord and David’s son was a problem with which Jesus challenged the Pharisees. They could not (or would not) answer Him (Matthew 22:41–46).
- Jesus was our sacrificial lamb (“a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain”) – When John turned around to see, he did not see a lion. He saw a lamb. Jesus Christ is called the Lamb at least twenty-eight times in the Book of Revelation (the Greek word that is used means a little pet lamb), making the emphasis hard to miss. In Revelation 6:16, God’s wrath is called “the wrath of the Lamb.” In Revelation 7:14, cleansing is by “the blood of the Lamb.” In Revelation 19:7 and 21:9, the church is “the bride of the Lamb.” The theme of the Lamb is an important one throughout Scripture, for it presents the person and work of Jesus Christ, as the sacrificial Lamb of God, our Kinsman Redeemer. The Old Testament question posed by Isaac “where is the lamb?” (Genesis 22:7) was answered by John the Baptist when he proclaimed, “behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). At long last, in Revelation 5:12, the choirs of heaven sing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
By laying down His life for us, Jesus demonstrated that He was willing to redeem us. The phrase “looking as if it had been slain” does not imply that the Lamb appeared to have been killed but was not. Rather, “as if” is used to indicate the Lamb is in reality now alive, but in appearance still bears the marks of the sacrifice. The Lamb is represented as standing. Although Christ was slain and laid low in the grave, He now stands. He was not overthrown or defeated by His death. By His death, He offered up His life to pay the price of redemption. By His resurrection, the price was accepted, and He was proclaimed worthy.
Under Roman law, a document became valid only when the addressee had received it. A similar concept is present in the law of contracts today, which require both an offer and an acceptance. Christ offered His life as payment for our sins and God accepted it as “worthy” by raising Jesus from the dead. Today, Christ offers His atoning death to us as a free gift. But we must accept the gift for it to take effect in our lives.
Because Jesus was the sinless Son of God, He was able to redeem us. Seven is the number of perfection. Here we see perfect power (“seven horns”), perfect wisdom (“seven eyes”), and perfect presence (“seven Spirits of God”). Theologians call these qualities omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. All three are attributes of God. The Lamb who is worthy is God the Son, Christ Jesus!
Once again, we see the concept of offer and acceptance on display. The book lay in the open hand of Him that sat on the throne for any to take who was found worthy (the offer). The Lamb (the Son) takes it from “him who sat on the throne,” the Father (the acceptance). That He was able to take it from the hand of the Father demonstrates not only that He was worthy, but that the Father also accepted Him as being worthy.
My Advice – While it is abundantly clear from many texts throughout the Scriptures that man is unworthy to redeem himself through his deeds by being “good enough” these passages should remove any lingering doubt anyone might have. One must go through Christ, our kinsman redeemer. If He were unwilling or unable, there would be possible means of redemption. The only remaining question is – are you willing to go through Him. The offer has already been made. All you must do is accept.
Sources:
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 584-585). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 809-). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Re 5:6). Biblical Studies Press.
Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Re 5:6). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Moore, E., Craven, E. R., & Woods, J. H. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Revelation (p. 158). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Re 5:7). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 566). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Walvoord, John F. (1966). The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Chicago, IL: Moody Press.
The Brew Is A Musing 