Revelation 1:4b-8, the 2nd Reading appointed for Christ the King Sunday in the Year of Mark, is a remarkable piece of good news. Interestingly, it is good news primarily to those to whom it is addressed: "the seven churches that are in Asia." (vs. 4a). What is proclaimed here is certainly not good news to Domitian, the Roman emperor of the late first century, whose power was certainly called into question by this proclamation, but to those who lived under his dreadful rule, it was pure gospel. Among other things, John proclaims, "[Jesus] is the ruler of the kings of the earth." It will be the preacher's task to announce this sovereignty.
(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but have been developed solely to help unearth the way the Word functions in the text, a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? Even though the intended recipients of this good word are not noted in the reading of this text, we know that those who first received these words were members of the persecuted "seven churches that are in Asia." Because it is them who receive this word, it functions as pure gospel, granting "grace and peace" from the One "who is and who was and who is to come" (i.e. the Eternal One). Also proclaimed are that Christ has loved us and freed us and made us priests in service of God. All this is the Word functioning as Gospel.
2. How is the Word not functioning in the text? There is little Law in this text. Verse seven hints at the Law, reminding us that not all will rejoice at the coming of Christ. "Those who pierced him" will wail, along with all the peoples of the earth who are have hated Christ's coming. Yet, for the main body of listeners there is no call to repentance here.
3. With whom are you identifying in the text? We are those to whom this is addressed, the ones who are loved, freed, and called into service. We are the ones who live under the sovereignty of the Almighty.
4. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? There is no explicit call to obedience, but the reminder that we not only loved and forgiven, but called to be priests, is an implicit call of obedience.
5. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? Perhaps we can take that trio of gifts from Christ and create some couplets. Some suggestions: forgotten/loved; bound/freed; useless/called.
6. Exegetical work: It is worth pondering that this small text is bracketed by two identical proclamations: "The Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come." Rienecker and Rogers suggest that "here the names of God are to be treated as a paraphrase of the tetragrammaton, Y-H-W-H, 'He who is'... In the Greek world similar titles for the gods are found. In the song of the doves at Dodona we read of 'Zeus who was, Zeus who is, and Zeus who will be.'" (Linguistic Key to the Greek NT, pp. 811-812). Julian Norwich, a 14th century mystic, living in the time of the Hundred Years' War and the bubonic plagues, picked up on this as well: "I saw that God never began to love us. For just as we will be in everlasting joy (all God's creation is destined for this), so also we have always been in God's foreknowledge, known and loved from the beginning." (Brendon Doyle, Meditation with Julian of Norwich). Even before that, Andrew of Caesarea, 6th century bishop, had this to say: "Through the phrase, 'who is' the Father is indicated, who spoke to Moses: 'I am Who I am'. Through the phrase 'who was' the Word is indicated, who was in the beginning with God. And through the phrase, 'who is to come' the Paraclete is indicated, who always visits the children of the church in holy baptism but will come more perfectly and more clearly in the age to come." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, Vol. XII, p. 3).
7. Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic? Eugene Lowry taught that a preacher must take the hearer from disequilibrium to equilibrium. This will be a challenge in this text. How will you, the preacher, first unsettle the listener, and then bring that same listener to a place of peace?
Blessings on your proclamation!
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