A Revelation Invitation

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
           “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
           to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
           and honor and glory and blessing!”
 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
           “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
           be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:11-14 ESV)

Power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing are things that humans crave. People chase after these through politics, education, investment, art, sports, religion and more. Some people temporarily attain some measure of one or more of these. But rarely is a person worthy of what they receive. What makes a person worthy?

The angels in heaven declared the Lamb to be worthy because he was slain. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. He died as our Passover lamb, a substitute, to redeem those who place their faith in him and his sacrifice. He was worthy because he was willing to forgo all that he was worthy of. What made him worthy was his willingness to use these things, not for his own benefit, but for ours.

Jesus is worthy to receive power. Yet he surrendered his power when he came to earth becoming a simple laborer in an obscure village in a backwater region of the world. Then he submitted to the Jewish and Roman authorities even though their powers were insignificant compared to the power Jesus had at his command. They exercised that power unjustly when they crucified him. No one has ever been worthier to receive power.

Jesus is worthy to receive wealth. Yet he left behind the riches of heaven when he came to earth to live a life of poverty. Jesus had no place to lay his head. He had no wardrobe to change into. He relied on the charity of others. He died penniless and was buried in a borrowed tomb that we might be made rich. No one has ever been worthier to receive wealth.

Jesus is worthy to receive wisdom. Yet he emptied himself when he became human, born an infant. As a baby he was a blank slate who had to grow in wisdom (Luke 2:52). Through God’s word and the Holy Spirit he reacquired the wisdom, knowledge and understanding that had previously been his. He used that wisdom, not to manipulate others, but to guide and uplift them. No one has ever been worthier to receive wisdom.

Jesus is worthy to receive might. Yet he became the most vulnerable of creatures when he was born a infant into the care of a peasant girl. He was subject to hunger, to the elements, to disease and to death. He surrendered his might becoming weak in order to save others. No one has ever been worthier to receive might.

Jesus is worthy to receive honor. Yet he experienced the indignity of crucifixion. He suffered the humiliating fate of a common criminal on the cross. He was betrayed by a friend, was deserted by his brothers, and forgave those who tortured and killed him. No one has ever been worthier to receive honor.

Jesus is worthy to receive glory. Yet he endured the mockery of a kangaroo court, the ridicule of lowly soldiers and the disgrace of a public execution. He ascended his throne when in humiliation he was hoisted upon a cross. He was crowned, not with gold, but with thorns. No one has ever been worthier to receive glory.

Jesus is worthy to receive blessing. Yet he endured the curse of the cross, the weight of the sins of the world, the injustice of the punishment of his innocent life. Jesus was cursed—the curse of being hung on a tree—that we might be blessed. No one has ever been worthier to receive blessing.

This is the gospel that saves us. The angels who praise him were witnesses to it all. They had seen what he had given up and they were in awe. This also highlights the magnitude of his victory on the cross and his vindication when he was raised from the dead. He now receives, as he deserves, all power, all wealth, all wisdom, all might, all honor, all glory and all blessing. Unlike anyone before him or since, he is truly worthy of these things.

All creation praises the Lamb as worthy. The angels of heaven declare the Lamb as worthy. The people of God celebrate the Lamb as worthy. The throne as voiced by the four living creatures acknowledges that the Lamb is worthy. He has taken the scroll. He is sovereign over the opening of its seals and over the forces that have been unleashed upon the world. What a comfort to know that the king whom we bow before in worship and who reigns in heaven and on earth is worthy.

Lord God Almighty, I praise you for you created all things, and through your son have redeemed them for yourself. Jesus, the Lamb, is worthy. I am grateful for the comfort of knowing that the Lamb who is worthy is sovereign over the earth and the affairs of men and over my destiny. To you who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! Amen.