Vision of the Son of Man (Revelation 1:9-20)

John provides readers with information about when and how he received this divine revelation. He received when he was in exile for following Jesus. Perhaps John, because he was a prominent leader of the church, had been separated from fellow believers, although his description of himself is one that indicates that he cannot be separated from them because they belong to the same family, serve in the same kingdom, endure the same opposition and have the same determination to continue.

John received the revelation through the Spirit. While it is difficult to grasp what John means by being in the Spirit, the outcome is obvious. Such will receive deeper understandings into who Jesus is and what he is doing. In John’s case, it probably means a special experience connected to him undergoing divine inspiration as he receives from Jesus a book that will be included in the Bible. 

John provides a description of Jesus and then records the demands of the Saviour.

The description of Jesus

John describes Jesus as present with the seven churches of Asia. The Saviour is about to send a letter to each, so we can deduce that Jesus has been investigating what has been occurring in the spiritual life of each congregation. 

The first detail that John mentions about Jesus is that he is like a son of man. We might assume that John is pointing to the humanity of Jesus here, and that is true. Yet he has a special kind of humanity, one that is marked by unique abilities. Our minds should be drawn to the prophecy of Daniel 7 in which one like the Son of man received a kingdom from God the Father, which happened to Jesus when he ascended. So what we have here is a description of the ascended Saviour. 

John then describes how Jesus is dressed. The long robe and the golden sash remind us that Jesus is dressed like a priest. Of course, Jesus is a special kind of priest, linked to the order of Melchizedek. The difference between that priesthood and the priesthood of Aaron was that Melchisedek was a king as well as a priest. Jesus is both a king and a priest.

Next John notes that the hair of Jesus was very white. In the vision that Daniel saw, it was the Ancient of Days (God the Father) who is said to have such hair. Therefore it is possible to regard this detail as indicating that Jesus is also divine. Moreover, a hoary head is linked with wisdom as well as with dignity. The least we can deduce from the reference to hair is that Jesus possesses the wisdom to deal with the issues he has seen in the seven churches. 

Another suggestion that is made regarding the white hair is that it points to purity or holiness of character, and it is the case that often in the Book of Revelation the colour white means holiness (as in the white robes that are mentioned). Our thoughts can go to what the seraphim say about Jesus in Isaiah 6, ‘Holy, holy, holy.’ The one who searches the churches is wise and holy.

The eyes of Jesus are like a flame of fire. I suppose John means penetrating vision, able to see everything that is going on in the churches. It is an interesting question to ask, ‘What would John have said about those churches if he had decided of himself to send letters to those churches?’ John did not possess such vision as Jesus and the apostle may have commended some of the churches that Jesus criticises. For example, John may not have perceived that the church in Ephesus had left their first love or that the church in Laodicea did not have the Lord’s presence at their services. But Jesus sees clearly what is going on, and his focus does not lose intensity.

John then says that the feet of Jesus were like bronze in a furnace, which must be connected to the description of his eyes being like fire. A metal was put in a furnace to purify it. Therefore, when a person saw a metal in this condition he knew that it was pure. The illustration is not suggesting that Jesus became pure; instead it is affirming that he is pure. I suppose another way of looking at this description would be to compare the feet of Jesus with the feet of the members of the seven churches. None of them were totally pure, but some of them were marked by great impurity. Given that Jesus is described here as acting in judgement, we can see in the reference to the fiery feet a picture of crushing judgement.

Then there is the loud voice of Jesus. John likens the voice to the noise of the Mediterranean Sea that dashed against the island on which he was exiled. Perhaps he heard its waves every day, drowning out all other noises. Such a sound could not be silenced by all the powers of man. When Jesus speaks, he will be heard, and he has come to speak to the seven churches.

John then points out that Jesus was holding seven stars in his right hand. He explains to John that each star represents an angel connected to each of the seven churches. Some see them as the messengers who will take the letters to their respective destinations. In saying that they are in his right hand, he is assuring John that the messages will get to their destination – a right hand was a place of power and was a sign of guidance. John may have wondered how he could get his messages from Patmos to the churches. Jesus informs John that the messages would reach their destinations.

Next, Jesus is described as having a sharp sword coming from his mouth. On several occasions, the Bible or the Word of God is likened to a sharp sword. Paul informed the Thessalonians that when Jesus returns, one of his actions will be to slay the man of sin by the sword of his mouth. The messages that Jesus is going to send will have a powerful edge to some of them because he has found evidence that he will need to wield his sword.

The final detail that John mentions is the brightness of the face of Jesus. John, of course, had seen this feature literally when Jesus was glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration. Here, John says that Jesus will be like the noon-day sun. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the shining of his face had been a blessing because it revealed that he was divine. On this second occasion, I suspect the shining of the face indicates judgement. After all, it is not good for a person to be unprotected against the brightness of the midday sun.

What else can we say about this vision of Jesus? First, it is a vision – we cannot deduce from this description that literally Jesus has white hair and burning eyes. Second, the vision tells us that Jesus is an awesome figure. ‘Awesome’ is one of the most misused words of our day – but it is not misused when said of Jesus. Third, the vision informs us that Jesus is the Assessor of his churches. There is no reason to limit this activity to the seven churches of Asia. He assesses all congregations.

The response of John

I suppose John initially may have imagined that Jesus was coming towards him to destroy him. We can see that he crumpled, so astounded and afraid was he. He must have been afraid because Jesus told him not to fear. There is an obvious sense in which this incident is like how Isaiah reacted when he had a vision of the greatness of Jesus in Isaiah 6.

From certain points of view, the response of John is surprising. When Jesus was here on earth with his disciples, John had a very close relationship with Jesus, expressed in how he used to lean Jesus’ breast. Moreover, it is likely that Jesus and John were cousins because a case can be made for saying that John’s mother Salome and Mary were sisters. Why did John respond in this way? He had new insights into his own nothingness and into the greatness of Jesus.

John’s response tells us how wrong it is to be flippant about Jesus. He is not only great in prestige, he is full of power, and when in his presence one is very much aware of who he is. John’s response was that he knew he should bow, but not bow as a merely symbolic gesture. The apostle does not only have a mental grasp of the greatness of Jesus, he feels it and is compelled to fall at his feet.

I suspect that this response is missing from much of the contemporary church. Jesus is our shepherd, he is our guide, he is our counsellor – they are biblical relationships, but governing them is the fact that he is Lord. And it may be the case that the reason John received a gracious response from Jesus was because he responded correctly to Jesus.

The comfort from Jesus

The Saviour responds quickly to his stricken disciple. First, with his right hand, he touched John. This was the hand in which John had seen the seven angels of the church. It was the hand that symbolised his royal power. In touching John, Jesus assured him that divine power was there to help him. And if God be for us, who or what can be against us?

John points out that the divine action of touching him was accompanied by words from Jesus about himself. The Saviour was aware of John’s fear and the answer for his fear was to focus on truth about Jesus. What did Jesus say about himself? First, he says who he is and then he points out what he has done. He is the eternal God (the first and the last) and the source of life (the living one). And he defeated death and is the sovereign over it.

What does Jesus mean when he says that he is the first and the last? First, it is a claim to deity because this is a title used of God in Isaiah. Second, it is a claim to certain activities that only God can do. As the first, he brought the universe into existence – he originated it; as the last, he will bring the current cosmos to an end.

Jesus also says that he as the Living One has the keys of death and Hades. He is describing the state of those who die. Death is the door into Hades and no one goes there except by the permission and activity of Jesus. No one gets out of it either without his permission and activity. John knows that his exile in Patmos might end in his death. After all, Jesus did not tell John to deliver the letters himself. If it does end in death, the same hand holds the keys as touched him shortly before. Jesus is calling John to have confidence in him.

-->

Having given John comfort and confidence, Jesus reaffirms his commission to John to write what he will include in his book. And he tells John the three types of things that he will include: things that he has already seen (the vision of Jesus), the things that are (the state of the churches, the throne room in heaven, the judgements on the earth), and the things yet to come (the resurrection, the return of Jesus, the renewal of the cosmos).