Revelation 1:9-20
John was one of Christ’s disciples and the churches that he was writing to were actual churches in the region of Asia Minor which is modern-day Turkey. He identifies himself as a fellow brother and begins to describe everything that Jesus had revealed and spoken to him. John is not speaking to them as a distant apostle from some ivory tower, nor as a far off prophet from another land and time, but as a fellow believer in Christ, familiar to their troubles and with personal experience in their suffering. One of John’s spiritual sons Polycarp was one of the Pastors he was writing to and he had many friends amongst the readers. John himself was in exile at this time as a political prisoner for the testimony of Jesus Christ (vs 9). This is noteworthy because before we spiritualise the text, let’s also realise that this was written to real Christians, in very real churches with some very real troubles.
John writes that he saw the Son of Man, Jesus, clothed with a garment down to His feet with a golden band around His chest portraying Jesus as High Priest and Judge. His white hair is not only depicting His wisdom as Judge but also an allusion to Daniel 7:9 which describes the Ancient of Days in like fashion, equating Jesus as the same.
In John’s vision Jesus has eyes ‘like a flame of fire’ (vs 14), speaking of His perfect discernment as righteousness judge, and He sees with perfect clarity all that is unjust. His feet are fine brass, glowing hot, ready to tread out the fierceness of His judgement from the purity of His justice. His voice was as powerful and majestic as the grandest of all waterfalls (vs15), delivered with the precision and severity of a two-edged sword.
As intense as this picture of Jesus is, it is contrasted by the fact that He is walking in the midst of the lampstands representing the 7 churches and in His right hand were 7 stars, representing the leaders of these churches (vs 16). The takeaway imagery here is that Jesus is standing in the midst of these Churches and therefore, in the midst of all those believers were going through.
The fierceness of His appearance however, causes John to fall down as if dead (vs17) but the gentle touch of the Saviour and the soft whisper of the Good Shepherd speaks kindness and comfort. Just as God told Abraham “Do not be afraid, Abram. I AM your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”(Gen 15:1) Now Jesus is telling a physical and more importantly a spiritual descendant of Abraham, ‘Do not be afraid, I AM the First and the Last’ (vs 17), I have defeated death and hell and I live forevermore (vs 18). I AM your exceedingly great reward of victory and eternal life.
Here’s what we can know from these verses:
- The ‘fear not’ we hear from our Saviour is always followed with ‘because I AM’. Whatever fear may be speaking to you right now in a myriad of ways, the person, nature and finished work of Jesus Christ will have an I AM to answer.
- Jesus is standing in your midst. No matter what situation or circumstance you are standing in right now, Jesus would say, I AM your healer, I AM your Saviour, I AM your provider, I AM your victory, I AM your peace, I AM your exceedingly great reward.
- Jesus holds us in His right hand – Like Jesus reminded John that He is holding the messengers of these churches (Pastors and Leaders) in His right hand, Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that Jesus does this for all who belong to Him. ‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’
Wherever you are today, Jesus is standing in your midst and He is holding you in His right hand, and as strong and powerful and righteous as He is, He too stretches out His hand and touches you on the shoulder and gently whispers in your ear, Do not be afraid, I AM.
