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Whose Empire is it Anyway? IV
“The Beast and the Lamb”
Revelation 5:1-14; 13:1-10
A sermon preached by the Rev. Douglas M. Donley
I had
everything planned out for this sermon months ago. I was going to point out the historical
issues around the symbolism of the lamb and the beast. I was going to draw comparisons between
present-day emperors and see how closely they match up to the Christian ideals
they espouse. Do they look more like the
Lamb, or do they resemble the beast?
This would have been a relatively easy sermon to preach, especially as
we approach the caucuses on Tuesday.
But then
the blog sermon happened last week. Deirdre, Denise, Bill and Diane took the
issues of empire and good and evil and salvation and biblical determinism and
set it all on its end. They pointed out
that we are, from our relatively privileged position, at best ambivalent about
empire. Is empire all bad? Are all emperors beasts? Is it at all realistic to remove ourselves
from the clutches of empire, or are we, like the people in Revelation’s time,
drunk by the wine of the beast. Thanks a
lot.
So here I am now, trying to close out
this series and I realize that it’s way too complex for that. It’s not so easy to say Jesus good, empire
bad. So instead, let me continue the
discussion about what empire might mean and how we might envision it a bit
better.
A lamb and
a beast are polar opposites. It’s so
easy to distinguish between them. During
election times, all candidates look like a lamb. Even if they are wolves in sheep’s
clothing. So how do you find out if one
that appears to be a lamb is really a beast?
Where is our propensity to be beastly while singing the songs of the
lamb? Those are some of the questions worth
contemplating, maybe in another set of blog
discussions.
Revelation
tells us that we need to watch who we follow.
It’s about leadership. Is your
leader Jesus or the emperor? The lamb or the beast?
A lamb is passive and a beast is destructive. But do we then follow the lamb who destroys the followers of the beast, sending them to the
lake of fire? How is this violence
redemptive?
I think
it’s more important who we are. Are we the faithful witnesses resisting the
powers and principalities on behalf of those on the underside of empire? Or are we seduced by the beast into passive
acceptance of the status quo?
The good
news is that we are here. We are looking
to delve a bit deeper, for a better vision that is more redemptive and more
healing. Thank God.
So as we
look at the beast and the lamb, let’s look at three interpretive clues to
Revelation:
The first is that the writer says
to us followers of the lamb, “Be not afraid”.
It appears twice in the first two chapters. Be not afraid of the world that is out
there. Be not afraid of the beast or the
dragon. For God and the lamb are
stronger than the dragon. In the gospel
of John, Jesus says “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good
cheer (be not afraid) for I have overcome the world.” It is normal and natural to be afraid,
especially when the world is crumbling around you. But we need to remember that we are part of a
movement that is more powerful than what the world presently throws at us. Be not afraid does not mean, ignore the
warning signs. What it means is, put
this world in perspective. As long as
you are working for justice, you are part of God’s plan. And God has promised to be with you even unto
the end of time. Be not afraid.
The second
key to unlocking the mysteries of Revelation is the phrase “patient
endurance.” That one is mentioned 17 times. It doesn’t mean take all of the beatings
lying down. It means actively and
persistently resist violence. Nonviolence is an active enterprise which is
larger than enduring any beating, it is about
whittling away at the big trees of injustice until they crumble. It is about not giving up. It is about keeping the heat on. The writer of Revelation praises the church’s
patient endurance. Patient endurance is
not passive acceptance of the way things are, but a full trust in God that the
result of enduring suffering will be new life:
new revelation; justice and peace.
The result of patient endurance will be the new heaven and the new earth
prophesied in chapter 21. Revelation
The third
and final key is for us to keep the faithful witness. Revelation is written to the faithful
witnesses. Long before Christianity was
the state religion of empires, it was a radical fringe movement which sought to
continually turn over the tables, pointing out who was really in charge. The Roman emperor (who was probably the Beast
in Revelation’s symbolic writing) was hell-bent on wiping out the Christians
who sought to subvert his power.
Christians were hauled out in front of Caesar and asked, “who is Lord.” If they said, “Caesar is Lord,” they were
spared. If they said “Jesus is Lord”
they were either drawn and quartered or they were
beheaded. It was risky business being a
Christian back then. When Revelation
talks about the faithful witness having traded their white robes for red, it is
referring to people having their own blood spilled. This is a scary book. I Cor. 12 says that no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy
Spirit. We now know why.
In order to
bear the faithful witness, it is important to be not afraid and to have
incredibly patient endurance.
Revelation was written were to
people in chaos. They needed words of
assurance. They had lost many, too many
of their family members and loved ones in a wicked war with the state. The Christian community to whom Revelation
was written in about 96 CE were hiding out in
catacombs, trying to maintain their faith against huge odds. They met in people's homes, not in huge
churches. They did not have a whole lot
of established traditions, save Baptism and a communion celebration. Like all challengers of the status quo, wild
stories got made up about them. They
were accused of cannibalism. People
confused what it meant to be consuming the body and blood of Christ. Since they followed one who was crucified by
the state, they were clearly unpatriotic.
The Roman Emperor Nero accused the Christians of starting a fire which
destroyed much of
Revelation was written to these
scared and faithful Christians in code to encourage them to maintain a faithful
witness to the lamb, the Christ who alone
could set them free. In biblical
numerology, the number 666 likely referred to Emperor Nero Caesar. The followers of the beast represent all of
the masses of people who are too scared to follow the lamb. The followers of the lamb are the people of
the persecuted church, the faithful witnesses who see the larger picture.
However, the writer of Revelation
makes it very clear that it is difficult for all but the most astute to tell
the difference between the lamb and the beast.
The beast appropriates the language of the lamb in order to win support
and confuse the faithful. That is why it
is so important to listen to the Spirit.
Don't listen to what the beast is saying. But when the beast looks like the lamb it
gets confusing.
We see beasts today. We see people who have the form of religion,
but not the function of religion. The
form of religion is the church buildings, the worship services and even the
giving in the offering plate. It’s the
invoking of the name of Jesus, the lamb.
But the function of religion is something else entirely. The function of religion is setting the
people free. The function of religion is
witnessing to God’s power to change lives.
The function of true religion is, as Amos reminds us, to “let justice
roll down like a mighty water and righteousness like an ever-flowing
stream.” If a politician uses the words
of the Lamb, watch how they are dealing with the poorest and the outcasts. That’s how you know who follows the lamb.
The writer of Revelation is not so
concerned about converting outsiders to the church's cause. That is important, but it is not the focus of
the book. The focus of Revelation is survival
and being able to thrive amidst terrible distress.
Those who follow the beast, do not have ears to hear, often. But to those who do have ears to hear,
listen to what the Spirit is saying.
Revelation
tells the faithful witness to "Be not afraid", but to have
"patient endurance" in the midst of the chaos around us.
Think about the times when you have
been persecuted. Think about the times
when your brand of Baptist faith was called into question. Think about the times when your integrity has
been called into question because of the candidate you support, or the church
to which you belong, or the color of your skin, or the one whom you love, or
the side of town you live in, or the way that you have fared in this economy,
or your position on the war. Think about
the times when you were tempted to no longer resist and go along with the beast
while giving lip service to the lamb.
The book of Revelation acknowledges
how hard it is to be a Christian.
Revelation makes it so hard that it spends the better part of the book
describing in exaggerated and apocalyptic detail the problems of the
world. But it also calls those who have
lived as slaves to the ways of this world to have patient endurance as you
maintain your faithful witness. The
truth is that soon and very soon there will be a new heaven and a new
earth. For the former
things have passed away. And
those of you who have kept the faithful witness have made it happen.
So my friends bear the faithful
witness in this world. Persistently
resist the temptation to go along to get along.
Patiently and actively endure the trials and tribulations which bring
this world toward wholeness as we seek to deny the beast and follow the
lamb. And most importantly, look around
you. You are not alone. Be not afraid that your journey is only
yours. For this faith community is
gathered to bear the faithful witness with you.
And that is good news.