by Matthew Bassford
“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered” (Rev 5:5). This is a text that creates all sorts of expectations in the listener. We’re about to be introduced to somebody who is simultaneously the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, and a conqueror.
Let’s start with the lion. Even the irreligious recognize lions as ferocious, majestic creatures. The Biblically literate are reminded of Jacob’s blessing of his son Judah in Genesis 49:9. Second, the Root of David is an offshoot of Israel’s greatest king, the warrior who killed giants and led his people to regional preeminence. In order for the title to apply, the candidate had better have the right Davidic lineage, be kingly, and be a victorious war leader. Third, as we would expect, this lion-like Root has conquered. It’s not hard to imagine what the Jews of Jesus’ time would be thinking. They had been under Roman domination for too long; it’s time to start dominating the Romans instead!
However, John takes all these expectations and subverts them in the very next verse. “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Rev 5:6).
Whoa! This is like expecting a steak dinner and getting a cube of tofu instead. The heroic victor over the enemies of God’s people looks like a baby sheep. Worse still, He looks like a DEAD baby sheep. This is an animal with zero capacity to conquer, who in fact clearly has been conquered. And yet, the elder says, “This is the One who has overcome.” What gives?
That’s exactly God’s point. In literal terms, Jesus didn’t look like anybody’s idea of a victor. He spent His whole life as a Jewish peasant. He never led armies in battle; indeed, He told His followers to sheathe their swords. He didn’t kill His enemies; they killed Him.
However, this meek Lamb of a Savior proved to be a lion. He overcame not through brute force and hatred, but through lowliness and love. His enemies thought they had defeated Him on the cross, but through His death and resurrection, He defeated the greatest enemy of mankind, the devil himself. He will stand for eternity as the greatest conqueror of all time.
God’s lions are lambs. We should remember this not only about our Lord, but about ourselves. We find personal victory not by asserting our will, but by submitting to God’s will. We prove our worth in the kingdom not by insisting on our own way, but by humbly serving others. We bring others to Christ not through domination and coercion, but through patience and love.
To worldly wisdom, this is and always has been foolishness. Surely, anybody who acts like that will get trampled on and despised! Surely, a people that acts like that will be shoved aside and forgotten! However, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and His path leads not to irrelevance, but to triumph. If we are led by the spirit of the Lamb, we will share in His glory too.