(Preached on June 11, 2017 - Week 4 of a Five Part Sermon Series on the Revelation of John)
Revelation 13:11-18 & Revelation 18:1-10
I learned something new as I was doing some studying on the Book of Revelation. I
learned about herding sheep, which is knowledge that I will probably never physically use, but it
does often apply to metaphors in the bible. From what I’ve seen on screen, sheep are bought
from one place to another by people with sticks and dogs, chasing them and gathering them. In
the Middle East though, the shepherd goes ahead and the sheep follow. They know the
shepherd’s voice, and they know they can trust the shepherd to lead them to green pasture, water,
and safety. No sticks or dogs required.
Certain passages in the bible now make a lot more sense to me as I envision Jesus as my shepherd, not chasing me with a stick and a dog, but leading me to green pastures and cool, clear waters and to safety from the hungry wolves. It also makes more sense to me when I think about our choice to follow. We are not being forced, manipulated, or coerced into following Jesus. We are being asked to trust in his voice and in his promises of safety and salvation.
I’ve also learned that sheep are social creatures and that they depend one another. They follow the strongest leaders, even to their destruction, and they don’t like to go where they cannot see. It’s no wonder we’re compared to sheep so often in the bible. We are social creatures, we tend to follow strong leaders, and we don’t like to go where we cannot see, literally and figuratively. With Jesus as our shepherd though, following isn’t always easy. Sometimes, we’d rather someone took a stick and drove us where we need to go, and sometimes, where we need to go is a place we cannot see. Unlike shepherds, Jesus will sometimes bring us to places of danger and will sometimes take us from the comfort of home and family.
Today is the fourth sermon of a five part sermon series on the Book of Revelation and today we’re going to talk about monsters, and the choice of whether we follow the monsters or if we follow Jesus. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Why would we follow monsters? But the monsters are seductive. They are awe-inspiring. They perform light shows, they show us the way to riches, to lives of comfort, and how to be well-liked and accepted. Following Jesus brings its challenges. It might mean giving away our riches, struggling against injustices, and being scorned or persecuted. Following Jesus brings its own kind of reward, but can be uncomfortable and difficult.
The Book of Revelation was written around the turn of the first century, when followers of Christ were being persecuted and martyred, while others were being tempted by the culture around them to assimilate, to follow local customs, to collude with Rome and worship its emperor. This is the world in which the author, John of Patmos, lived. John was a traveller, who spread the word about Jesus to different communities. While he was on the island of Patmos, he had a vision, a vision that he then wrote down and shared with these communities. This vision is filled with symbols. It is filled with poetry and hymns. It is filled with metaphorical language and many references to the Jewish bible and Jewish tradition. Last week, we looked at some of the symbols and the plot of the first half of John’s vision. This week we look at the second half, except for the final chapters, which we’ll save for next week.
Certain passages in the bible now make a lot more sense to me as I envision Jesus as my shepherd, not chasing me with a stick and a dog, but leading me to green pastures and cool, clear waters and to safety from the hungry wolves. It also makes more sense to me when I think about our choice to follow. We are not being forced, manipulated, or coerced into following Jesus. We are being asked to trust in his voice and in his promises of safety and salvation.
I’ve also learned that sheep are social creatures and that they depend one another. They follow the strongest leaders, even to their destruction, and they don’t like to go where they cannot see. It’s no wonder we’re compared to sheep so often in the bible. We are social creatures, we tend to follow strong leaders, and we don’t like to go where we cannot see, literally and figuratively. With Jesus as our shepherd though, following isn’t always easy. Sometimes, we’d rather someone took a stick and drove us where we need to go, and sometimes, where we need to go is a place we cannot see. Unlike shepherds, Jesus will sometimes bring us to places of danger and will sometimes take us from the comfort of home and family.
Today is the fourth sermon of a five part sermon series on the Book of Revelation and today we’re going to talk about monsters, and the choice of whether we follow the monsters or if we follow Jesus. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Why would we follow monsters? But the monsters are seductive. They are awe-inspiring. They perform light shows, they show us the way to riches, to lives of comfort, and how to be well-liked and accepted. Following Jesus brings its challenges. It might mean giving away our riches, struggling against injustices, and being scorned or persecuted. Following Jesus brings its own kind of reward, but can be uncomfortable and difficult.
The Book of Revelation was written around the turn of the first century, when followers of Christ were being persecuted and martyred, while others were being tempted by the culture around them to assimilate, to follow local customs, to collude with Rome and worship its emperor. This is the world in which the author, John of Patmos, lived. John was a traveller, who spread the word about Jesus to different communities. While he was on the island of Patmos, he had a vision, a vision that he then wrote down and shared with these communities. This vision is filled with symbols. It is filled with poetry and hymns. It is filled with metaphorical language and many references to the Jewish bible and Jewish tradition. Last week, we looked at some of the symbols and the plot of the first half of John’s vision. This week we look at the second half, except for the final chapters, which we’ll save for next week.
We left off with the seven seals on the scrolls being broken, the seven trumpets blasted,
and the two witnesses, killed by the beast, but alive again by the breath of God. This week we
look at the beast, the one who killed the two witnesses. Who or what is this beast?
People have attempted to create pictures from the description that John gives, and I went
through many of them on google, but it’s really quite impossible to depict without it looking
ridiculous. So, let’s try to use our own imaginations as I read to you John’s description:
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Revelation 13: 1-4)
Who indeed?
Then there is a second beast that makes the earth follow the first beast. It performs signs and deceives people. This is the beast people have named the Anti-Christ. We are told that the “whole earth” followed these beasts, stood in awe and worshipped them. Why? Why would they follow these horrific beasts, who brought death and suffering to the world? The many followers of these beasts were marked with the number, 666, which is a symbolic number that people have been trying to interpret for ages. Here is a fun fact to impress your friends. Hebrew characters use letters as numbers. This is similar to Roman numbers where the letters V, I, I, represent the number 7. The name, NERO CEASAR, when written in Hebrew characters, adds up to the number 666. Nero persecuted and killed many followers of Jesus. It was under Nero that the beloved temple of the Jewish people was ultimately destroyed.
Another character we encounter in the second half of this story needs some unpacking. The city of Rome in this story is personified as a female character. In some translations, she is a prostitute. In others, she is called a whore. She is one of three major female figures in this story. One is a mother representing the faithful people of Israel. Another, which I’ve just mentioned, is a highly priced prostitute, representing the debauched city of Rome and it’s people, and the last is a Bride, who we will encounter in the final chapters. The portrayal of women in this story is problematic so I am going to take a moment to quote Susan R. Garrett, who addresses this:
| Some images of the beast are quite amusing. |
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Revelation 13: 1-4)
Who indeed?
Then there is a second beast that makes the earth follow the first beast. It performs signs and deceives people. This is the beast people have named the Anti-Christ. We are told that the “whole earth” followed these beasts, stood in awe and worshipped them. Why? Why would they follow these horrific beasts, who brought death and suffering to the world? The many followers of these beasts were marked with the number, 666, which is a symbolic number that people have been trying to interpret for ages. Here is a fun fact to impress your friends. Hebrew characters use letters as numbers. This is similar to Roman numbers where the letters V, I, I, represent the number 7. The name, NERO CEASAR, when written in Hebrew characters, adds up to the number 666. Nero persecuted and killed many followers of Jesus. It was under Nero that the beloved temple of the Jewish people was ultimately destroyed.
Another character we encounter in the second half of this story needs some unpacking. The city of Rome in this story is personified as a female character. In some translations, she is a prostitute. In others, she is called a whore. She is one of three major female figures in this story. One is a mother representing the faithful people of Israel. Another, which I’ve just mentioned, is a highly priced prostitute, representing the debauched city of Rome and it’s people, and the last is a Bride, who we will encounter in the final chapters. The portrayal of women in this story is problematic so I am going to take a moment to quote Susan R. Garrett, who addresses this:
Each of these symbols reflects the male-centered culture of the first century: women are
caricatured as virgins, whores, or mothers...The stereotyped feminine images in the book
do not represent the full spectrum of authentic womanhood, either in John’s day or in our
own. The images grow out of the patriarchal culture of the first century, which valued the
control or management of women’s sexuality by men. In such a culture, the virgin (who
remains subject to male control) and the whore (who does not) can come to represent
diametrically opposite realities: purity and obedience versus corruption and evil. Exploring
the cultural roots of John’s metaphoric language about women will enable us to understand
what he was trying to say at those points, but the dehumanizing way in which he phrased
his messages will remain deeply troubling.”1
This is why I have used a version of the bible called the Inclusive Bible, which describes itself as
the first egalitarian bible. This figure representing the debauched city of Rome is titled “The
Idolater.” The point is that sometimes it’s helpful to translate scripture as close as possible to the
original, but other times, we need to remember that we live in a different time and we have
learned much since scripture was first written, so we need to adapt the language to keep it from
being hurtful or oppressive.
So we have these beasts, and we have this Idolater, who are represented in very malevolent ways and yet, we have all these people who are following them. For those being oppressed and persecuted by these beasts it’s easy to turn from them and label them as wicked and evil, but for others, it’s not that simple. The people following the beast are probably benefitting in many ways. We have some examples in our bible, like the tax collectors who became rich by taking more than they needed, the temple priests, who were in collusion with the Romans in order to keep the peace or to hold onto their power, the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus but couldn’t because it meant giving up those riches. Following the beast, for some of us, is sometimes easier than following Jesus.
In our own context, how might it look to follow the beast? I went to a conference in
Chicago a couple of weeks ago. It was on reimagining children’s and youth ministry. I heard a
variety of amazing speakers. One was a young adult, of 19 or 20 years, who had decided on her
own one day to connect to activists in Syria through her laptop. She is Syrian-American and felt
she needed to do something. She talked about how it is her mission to make sure that Americans
know what is really happening on the ground in Syria. She visited once to bring supplies and
talked about how she had to walk through a mine field in order to cross the border.
Another speaker was an American Indian from Washington state. His message was to tell white people to stop doing mission, but if they do continue, to remember three things: 1) Be invited, 2) go to serve, not save, and 3) go to listen.
This is why I have used a version of the bible called the Inclusive Bible, which describes itself as
the first egalitarian bible. This figure representing the debauched city of Rome is titled “The
Idolater.” The point is that sometimes it’s helpful to translate scripture as close as possible to the
original, but other times, we need to remember that we live in a different time and we have
learned much since scripture was first written, so we need to adapt the language to keep it from
being hurtful or oppressive.So we have these beasts, and we have this Idolater, who are represented in very malevolent ways and yet, we have all these people who are following them. For those being oppressed and persecuted by these beasts it’s easy to turn from them and label them as wicked and evil, but for others, it’s not that simple. The people following the beast are probably benefitting in many ways. We have some examples in our bible, like the tax collectors who became rich by taking more than they needed, the temple priests, who were in collusion with the Romans in order to keep the peace or to hold onto their power, the rich man who wanted to follow Jesus but couldn’t because it meant giving up those riches. Following the beast, for some of us, is sometimes easier than following Jesus.
In our own context, how might it look to follow the beast? I went to a conference in
Chicago a couple of weeks ago. It was on reimagining children’s and youth ministry. I heard a
variety of amazing speakers. One was a young adult, of 19 or 20 years, who had decided on her
own one day to connect to activists in Syria through her laptop. She is Syrian-American and felt
she needed to do something. She talked about how it is her mission to make sure that Americans
know what is really happening on the ground in Syria. She visited once to bring supplies and
talked about how she had to walk through a mine field in order to cross the border.
Another speaker was an American Indian from Washington state. His message was to tell white people to stop doing mission, but if they do continue, to remember three things: 1) Be invited, 2) go to serve, not save, and 3) go to listen.
Another man, from California talked about neighbours in his community being shot by
local authorities because of the colour of their skin. He is a white man of privilege and wasn’t
sure what he could do. What he decided to do was walk with others in their vigils as they
mourned and stood with them on the steps of the courthouse as they fought back.
This conference, to reimagine children’s and youth ministry, was asking the question, “How do we prepare our children and youth to live in this world?” Beyond pizza, games, and lazer tag, are we preparing them for what it really means to follow Jesus. Brian McClaren, our opening night speaker talked about how Christianity has become a lullaby. A lullaby makes us feel good and lulls us to sleep. Is this what Christianity is about? I think not. We need to wake up. Maybe we’re following the beast without even knowing we’re following the beast. We have been lulled to sleep.
We live in a complicated world, where everything we do is woven into the fabric of world politics, world economics, and world justice and peace. It’s hard not to be a follower of the beast while living in Rome.
So we choose a side and we do our best to live into it. I have chosen to be a follower of Jesus. I have chosen to follow his voice and to heed his call. I am constantly learning how to do that. I live in Rome and I need to wake up. I am one of the privileged, and how I use that privilege is up to me. Do I ignore the injustices around me? Do I choose to close my eyes to the atrocities of the past from which I’ve gained? Do I decide to do nothing when I have the power to do and say something? This is where it gets hard. If I ignore, close my eyes, and do nothing, I’m following the beast. What do you choose? Who do you follow? The beast or Jesus?
May you open your eyes to injustice. May you wake up to your privilege and power. May you open your heart to Jesus and trust in his voice as you learn to follow. May it be so. Amen.
This conference, to reimagine children’s and youth ministry, was asking the question, “How do we prepare our children and youth to live in this world?” Beyond pizza, games, and lazer tag, are we preparing them for what it really means to follow Jesus. Brian McClaren, our opening night speaker talked about how Christianity has become a lullaby. A lullaby makes us feel good and lulls us to sleep. Is this what Christianity is about? I think not. We need to wake up. Maybe we’re following the beast without even knowing we’re following the beast. We have been lulled to sleep.
We live in a complicated world, where everything we do is woven into the fabric of world politics, world economics, and world justice and peace. It’s hard not to be a follower of the beast while living in Rome.
So we choose a side and we do our best to live into it. I have chosen to be a follower of Jesus. I have chosen to follow his voice and to heed his call. I am constantly learning how to do that. I live in Rome and I need to wake up. I am one of the privileged, and how I use that privilege is up to me. Do I ignore the injustices around me? Do I choose to close my eyes to the atrocities of the past from which I’ve gained? Do I decide to do nothing when I have the power to do and say something? This is where it gets hard. If I ignore, close my eyes, and do nothing, I’m following the beast. What do you choose? Who do you follow? The beast or Jesus?
May you open your eyes to injustice. May you wake up to your privilege and power. May you open your heart to Jesus and trust in his voice as you learn to follow. May it be so. Amen.
1 Women’s Bible Commentary. Ed. Newsom, Carol A. and Ringe, Sharon H. 1998. Westminster John Knox Press. Pg 469.
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