6 May 07
Revelations 21:1-6
No more tears
In my office at home, I have this picture hanging on the wall. I am not sure if you can see it clearly, but it is a picture of an African boy crying. The picture has a biblical verse that reads, He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever (Rev. 21:4).
Now, I am not sure why I have it. I have had it for so many years now that I do not remember where I bought it. I suspect that I bought it because it has a popular biblical verse in it. The image of a boy crying is important too. I suspect that I was moved by his face and tears. I do not like to see people crying. Seeing a child crying is even worse for me. I guess the image of this African boy crying and all the images and memories of pain and suffering it brings contrasted with the hopeful image of the biblical passage made me want to buy it. Just the thought that one day no one in the world will ever again experience death, sorrow, crying and pain makes me feel better, makes me feel good.
One of the sermons I read in preparation for todays message spoke about jumping to the images of the new heaven and the new earth, too quickly. He pointed out that in the chapters before, we have the images of the Babylonian whore, the beast who writes his number on foreheads, and the angles who pour forth the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth (Bill Long). He adds that in Revelation chapter 8-18 we have images of destruction beyond our imagination and comprehension; destruction that we, humans, have never seen before. He then states that we are indeed unworthy and/or unready to read Revelation 21, until we first understand better the devastation and suffering that happens before.
And, in some ways I agree. We have not seen enough suffering to appreciate the totality of the message found in chapter 21. We as a nation were moved and shocked to see on TV how a mentally ill student shot and killed 32 people before killing himself at Virginia Tech University. According to the media, it was the worst killing in an American school campus in the history of our nation. After the shootings, Virginia Tech students became fearful and worried about their safety. Many left campus for the safety of their own homes, the same day the tragedy happened.
However, this Friday I read on my PC that bombs were placed all over in an all-girls school in Baghdad, Iraq. According to the media, those who put the bombs had the intentions of blowing-up the entire school full of innocent girls. The day after the Virginia Tech shootings, a hundred people were killed in Iraq. Bombings and killings are taking place in Iraq ever day since the American army entered that nation to liberate it from tyranny four years ago. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. An entire generation has been traumatized. Even the Green Zone, the Safe Zone, in Baghdad can not protect people from this war. Yes, I can see why some people might say we are unworthy or even unready to appreciate Revelation 21.
On the other hand, I do not think we need to experience the devastation of Iraq, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Somalia or the Holocaust to comprehend what Revelation 21 is all about. Every human being, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender or education, will experience death, sorrow, crying and pain at one point in their life. We know how sorrow feels. We know the feeling of pain. We know and have experienced crying. If we have not buried a loved one yet, we will soon do so. Not even though we are too far removed from the type of devastation Revelation speaks about, or even the type of devastation we have seen around the world today, we are no strangers to pain. Some fatalistic people have said, that the minute we are born, we begin the journey towards death.
I guess this is why I believe this passage is important. It shows us two very important things. One, it does not talk about ending death and suffering the minute we become Christians. It does not support prosperity theology. It does not protect us (Christians) from the reality of suffering and pain. It does not promise a life without crisis or even an easy life. In fact, it is very clear from the images in the book of Revelation that things get worse before they get better.
Second, it shows us that the glorious day when history ends, will be much, much greater than the devastations we have seen or have yet to see. This is what the images of this passage are trying to tell us. There are no better images of a world seen or unseen than a world where God dwells among us. Emphatically John hears a voice from the throne saying, See, the home of God is among mortals (v.3). And, it is God, the Maker of the universe, who will live with us. He will be our God, and we will be his people. That day, at the end of history, the sea, the place most feared by first century people, the place that unmercifully killed sailors at will, will be no more. And, a new city and a new world will come and take the place of the old, corrupt, and imperfect world.
It is at the end of history, that true life will begin- a life that God Himself intended for us to have. And, we will find ourselves in the place God intended us to be. A place where there is no evil; a place where life is peaceful; a place where Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more (v.14).
Having said all that, I must make two cautionary comments before I continue. First, we must never, never ignore our responsibilities and our mandate to do what we can to quench evil and fight for what is right and just. Phillip Yancy wrote, The people of God are not merely to mark time, waiting for God to step in and set right all that is wrong. Rather, they are to model the new heaven and new earth, and by so doing awaken longings for what God will someday bring to pass. Phillip Yancy. In other words, the people of God must not sit waiting for the end of history to come, while evil destroys our fellow men. We must model what we know will someday be a reality; the presence of God among us, and peace and love among the inhabitants of the earth.
Second, we must not see all suffering as pointless and useless. In his book, The Wounded Spirit, Frank Peretti wrote, God does not waste an ounce of our pain or a drop of our tears; suffering doesn't come our way for no reason, and He seems especially efficient at using what we endure to mold our character. If we are malleable, He takes our bumps and bruises and shapes them into something beautiful Frank Peretti. Those of us who believe in God and believe He is in control over our days, must trust and believe God can and will turn evil into good. We must believe that our darkest day, given to the Lord has the potential to become our greatest day.
You know? I do not know why I keep the picture of the crying African boy in my office. I suspect it is a reminder of the pain many of Gods children suffer today. I suspect it is also a reminder of the hope we have in Jesus Christ, and the hope we see in the images of the book of Revelation. However, I believe this picture also reminds me that I have a duty before God, to try to preach good news to the poor, freedom to the captives, healing to the sick and hope for the hopeless. I have a duty, a responsibility to live up to my own Christian ideals and seek peace and justice for all Gods creatures. I have a duty, a responsibility to let those who suffer, those victims of gun violence, military aggressions or any other life crisis, know that there is a God who knows their pain, who understands their cry and someday with His own hands He will wipe away every tear from eyes and end their suffering forever.
I imagine gentle hands, just as a nurturing parent would do, wiping away every tear.
Let us pray