John the Pastor: Encouragement for a Struggling Church: A Prophecy of Grace and Hope for Today's Church

Preface

My theological education did not serve me well in understanding Revelation. I cannot recall receiving more than half a lecture on its message. Church experience was similar. Preachers would do a series on the ‘messages’ to the seven churches with perhaps something also about chapters 4 and 5. Few attempted to work their way through the whole book.

Many years ago I came across a small commentary by J.P. Love in the Layman’s Bible Commentary series (SCM) that proved to be ‘revelatory’ (pun intended). Love’s little book was invaluable because it showed me how to understand the symbols in the book and the structure.

As a freshly minted preacher I began preaching on Revelation, and later wrote a small commentary for which many have expressed appreciation. People genuinely want to understand this book.

After quite a period away from Revelation I have worked my way through it again for a series of addresses in church. This has brought to mind a new perspective on the book, which is to see it as embodying John’s pastoral message to the churches in Roman Asia.

John, whom I assume is the apostle John, was aware of the challenges confronting the network of churches in the province. Heretical teachers were active. The people were surrounded by pagan temple worship with its accompanying sexual practices. There was hostility directed towards them from the Jewish communities. But far and away their biggest problem was official and political. The Roman Caesar demanded that people worship him and that Christians curse their Lord.

John exercises his ministry in two ways. On the one hand, he candidly outlines the severe hardships the followers of the Lamb will face. On the other, however, he teaches, encourages and warns, but above all holds out the hope of the New Jerusalem to those who faithfully follow the Lamb.

God so guided John that he managed to write a book that was just right for his friends back then, and is also just right for Christians in any age, including our own.

John the Pastor in Revelation is not a commentary, although it does follow Revelation in its natural sequence (in large chunks). It attempts to address the major message in each part of the book, without dealing with every detail. (You will find more books for further study listed later.)

I have written it for church ministers to encourage them to preach through Revelation, but also for their own pastoral ministry to their congregations. At the same time I think Bible study groups would find it a useful guide for their meetings, and to that end there are some discussion questions at the end of the chapters. In an appendix I have included some suggestions for outlines for expositions.

1.

Revelation is a Pastoral Letter

Television programmes about antiques are popular. I am always impressed with the skill of the experts in dating the artefacts and revealing their value. The Australian version featured a mystery item for the specialists to identify. Often it would be an obscure object from a bygone era; for example, a wool holder to help someone who was knitting, or an implement to join broken billiard cues. In every case, the panel were puzzled and often failed to find a name or purpose for the mysterious thing.

The book of Revelation is a bit like that. It, too, comes from the distant past and is so unusual that most of us don’t really know what it is or its purpose. Its weird numbers, animals and colours mystify us. True, it has many wonderful passages such as the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ that Handel included in his oratorio, Messiah. But in between the special parts are lengthy tracts that are difficult to understand.

What was John’s aim?

If we could use one word, it would be ‘pastoral’. John the author was ‘pastor’ to a network of congregations in the Roman province that was called Asia. Roman Asia was that part of today’s western Turkey adjoining the Aegean Sea.

John was a prisoner on Patmos island, about one hundred kilometres into the Aegean Sea. Thus John was a leader who was physically removed from his congregations. He wrote Revelation as a long letter to give spiritual direction and encouragement to these churches. Although John doesn’t call himself a ‘pastor’ (or shepherd) that is in fact what he was.

To be more precise, it was actually the resurrected Jesus who was the ‘shepherd’.

For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. (7:17, italics added)

Jesus, the Lamb at the centre of the throne, is the ultimate shepherd. Peter called him the ‘Chief Shepherd’ (1 Pet. 5:4) and the book of Hebrews the ‘great Shepherd’ (Heb. 13:20). We should think of John as an ‘under-shepherd’, doing the work of shepherd under his Lord’s direction.

Why did these Christians need a pastor?

Shepherds are leaders whom sheep follow. They lead them away from places of danger to places of safety, where there is pasture and water. Roman Asia at the end of the first century was very dangerous for Christians. Domitian, the Roman emperor, insisted that people everywhere worship him as ‘Lord and God’. His subjects happily saw him as the source of protection from invaders, but also of health and prosperity. They regarded his statues and temples as the instruments of magical power. All guilds for merchants and tradesmen held religious services worshipping Rome and her Caesar as part of their meetings. This left Christians in a terrible predicament. They must confirm Caesar as ‘god’ or leave the guild, which would drive them into poverty. No one would buy or sell from them if they did not conform (13:16,17).

Members of the Jewish community enjoyed a special immunity from Caesar worship. Since the Roman destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70 they had been forced to pay the ‘Jewish tax’ for the maintenance of the temple of Jupiter in Jerusalem. This added insult to injury, but at least it gave them ongoing immunity from having to worship the Roman god-ruler.

Also, the Jewish communities regarded the followers of Jesus as a heretical departure from the true faith of Israel. From their protected status they were able to accuse the Christians of treason in not honouring the emperor. John referred to the Jews of Smyrna and Philadelphia as the ‘synagogue of Satan’, the source of persecution. A few years later, the great Christian leader Polycarp was martyred at the instigation of the synagogue community of Smyrna.

All this meant tremendous pressure to abandon following Jesus and instead to follow the Roman Caesar. Revelation repeatedly challenges the reader to follow Christ and not the Caesar (whom it calls ‘the beast’).

John doesn’t minimize the cost or the danger to Christians. He called the One who is to be followed ‘the Lamb’, which is hardly an image that speaks of power or success. Furthermore, the Lamb was bloodied, as if having been slaughtered. To follow this Lamb would incur wounds in his followers along the way. Only at the end of the journey would there be safety.

Pastoral words embedded in Revelation’s narrative

Modern readers find the language of Revelation difficult. It is highly pictorial, using many symbols, and is sometimes lurid. For the moment we will put these concerns to one side and try to catch an overview of John’s story from beginning to end and to reflect on the pastoral words that he inserts throughout his letter-book.

First, John recounts his vision of the one ‘like a son of man’ whom he saw on Patmos island, and his messages to seven churches on the mainland (chs 1 – 3). John the pastor states the reason for his exile on Patmos that also provides the example of his own faithfulness.

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (1:9, italics added)

John wants them to follow his own model of ‘patient endurance’ under ‘suffering’ incurred in giving ‘testimony’ to Jesus. In the messages to the churches Jesus (through John) appeals to the people in the churches to ‘hear’ the words of the Spirit and to ‘overcome’ the challenges they face. For example, these are his words to the church in Ephesus:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (2:7, italics added)

Next, John portrays Jesus as the bloodied Lamb who alone is worthy to unroll the sealed scroll that will reveal the future (chs 4,5). John’s portrayal of the worship of the Lamb by ‘every creature’ in heaven is intended to inspire the unwavering worship of him by his persecuted followers on earth. This is what the heavenly worshippers sing:

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honour and glory and power,

for ever and ever! (5:13)

The removal of these seals reveals the coming ‘great tribulation’ or ‘great ordeal’ of wars and persecutions (chs 6,7) through which the saints must pass. At the end, John gives us a glimpse of the weary saints when God finally brings them to their destination.

… they are before the throne of God

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

Never again will they hunger;

never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat upon them,

nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd;

he will lead them to springs of living water.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (7:15–17)

At last their patient faithfulness is rewarded. They have finally arrived at their destination. There God will shield them from the sun, feed them, give them water, and wipe away their tears.

The seventh seal in turn opens the cycle of trumpets that reveal the horrific ‘plagues’ that will fall upon the physical world and humanity (chs 8 – 11). John, however, offers the reassuring words that the Lord God Almighty has taken his great power and already has begun to reign.

We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and have begun to reign. (11:17)

Although we might think that everything must now be under God’s control, there is worse to follow in the second part of the book. An evil trinity – a parody of the true Trinity – is now revealed, whose members declare war on