The 1st Beatitude in Revelation
The 1st Beatitude in Revelation.
“The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Rev. 1:1). John the Divine left no doubt about the purpose of his Book of Revelation. His very first words in his prologue were that his vision was an unveiling of Jesus. His baffling and otherworldly writings in this book were not primarily about future events, or the destiny of human life on planet earth, or all those mysterious activities in the heavenly sphere. John was writing first and foremost about the Person of Christ, and he intended everything in the book to point back to Him. Revelation was a lifting of the veil on the full identity and activity of Christ. It is a revelation of Jesus, from God, concerning Christ Himself. The Godhead is both the primary source of John’s vision and its main subject. Everything in this extended vision that came to John straight from heaven is to be understood through the prism of Christ. Regardless of how dramatic, puzzling or profound its contents, everything in John’s vision is intended to help us discover more of Christ and deepen our knowledge of and love for Him. All these events in Revelation that seem to pique the reader’s curiosity are nonetheless streams that are meant to lead us back to the River of Life. Perhaps it would do us all well if we continue to remind ourselves of Paul’s declaration as we read John’s vision… “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2). So then, we can’t let ourselves get too sidetracked, too stuck in the weeds, with these fancy special effects in John’s vision… the beasts and the dragons and the angels, the numbers and colors and gemstones, the symbols and metaphors and poetic imagery… After all is said and done in Revelation, St. John has composed an essentially Christ-centered book.
Gold Mine: Another way of looking at the book of Revelation is to strap on your miner’s helmet and search for Biblical gold. In John’s vision are many gold mines that have Jesus Christ as the source… Mines like His appearance in His glorified presence, the Logos of God, the seven titles of Christ, the words to the seven churches, the seven Beatitudes, and the many songs of worship that come straight to us from heaven! And there is more! Mining all the gold in Revelation will make us wealthy with His treasure for all of eternal life. But all those fancy special effects in John’s vision are only fool’s gold if they distract us from Jesus.
“Blessed is he who reads aloud in the assembly the word of this prophecy; and blessed are those who hear it read and who keep themselves true to the things which are written in it – for the time for them to be fulfilled is near.” (Revelation 1:3, Amplified).
“Blessed” = makarioi; a rich Greek word with many nuances, all in the context of enjoying God’s favor: fully satisfied; deeply joyful; delightfully content; profoundly happy; blissfully fulfilled. When Jesus declares that you are blessed, He is congratulating you, confidently affirming that God is active in your life. You are blessed when you put yourself in the position to be transformed by God. You are blessed, you are most fortunate, you are to be envied, because you now have the unexpected privilege of participating in the Kingdom of God. When you are blessed, you are aware that your blessedness does not depend on your outer circumstances. You are thus filled with hopeful joy. So when Jesus says that you are blessed, it is time to celebrate, for He is looking upon you with favor. In these Beatitudes, Jesus is saying that God wants us to be blessed, He is for us, He wants good to happen to us.
First Beatitude. At the beginning of the book John offers a three-in-one beatitude, three blessings to all those who receive these words. You will be blessed, John promises, if you do three things in response to this revelation. You are in a favorable position, you will be joyfully fulfilled and satisfied, if you do these three things: If you read these words aloud in your assembly; if you are fortunate enough to be one of those who hear them read; and if you keep yourselves true to what is written in this message. So these three things… if you read it aloud, if you hear it read, and if you heed the words, treasuring them in your heart and obeying them. John seems to highlight the fact that these words in his revelation must be read aloud, not secretly or privately. These are words that were meant to be read orally and openly. You will also be blessed if you hear these words, because they are straight from Jesus to you. Finally, you are to be congratulated, happy you will be, if you keep these words, think about them, take them in and embrace them in your life. There is power in reading Scripture aloud in a group setting, and we need to heed John’s advice: When we experience the blessing of hearing the Word, it needs to be translated into one’s life and kept sacred as you live them out. Listen to the Word, and allow it to influence you for eternity.