The Lamb Is Worthy
Open Your Bible
Revelation 4:1-11, Revelation 5:1-14, Isaiah 6:1-6, Ezekiel 1:26-28
BY Sharon Hodde Miller
One of my sons’ favorite bedtime stories is The Sword in the Stone. As a child, I grew up watching the animated version of this tale, in which a lanky, awkward boy named Arthur unwittingly prepares to become king. Set in twelfth century England, the legend describes a country in turmoil, where the king has died without an heir to take his place. In order to resolve this dilemma, a wizard named Merlin places a sword in an anvil with the following words inscribed upon it: “Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise King born of all England.”
As the story goes, plenty of strong men and mighty warriors attempt to remove the sword, but every one of them fails. That is, until Arthur. This young, scrawny, misfit approaches the sword and is able to pull it from the anvil, finally restoring order to the kingdom.
The legend of Arthur is only a myth, but it echoes a story that is not. In chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation, we encounter a similar scene, but in place of a sword we have a scroll (5:1). We don’t know what exactly is inside the scroll, but New Testament scholar N.T. Wright speculates: “We rightly guess… that it contains God’s secret plan to undo and overthrow the world-destroying projects that have already gained so much ground, and to plant and nurture instead the world-rescuing project which will get creation itself back on track in the right direction.”
Much like the sword in the stone, what is significant about the scroll is not simply what is inside of it, but Who is able to unseal it. Like the sword, there is only one who is worthy to unleash its power. That chosen one, we soon discover, is Jesus—the “Lamb,” the “Root of David,” the “Lion from the tribe of Judah” (5:6,5). Christ alone can initiate God’s plan to rescue and redeem the world.
That is how the two stories are similar. This is how they differ:
In The Sword and the Stone, Arthur does nothing to earn the title of king. Although legend holds that he was secretly a royal heir, Arthur’s worthiness (much like Abraham, Moses, and David) comes solely from the fact that he is chosen for the task. He does not earn it, and he does not deserve it.
Christ, on the other hand, is a different kind of hero. He is not simply plucked from thin air. Instead, the Lamb is worthy for two important reasons. First, He is worthy to redeem the brokenness of the world because He is the only one who did not contribute to it. And second, He is worthy to rescue humanity because He purchased us by His blood (5:9).
Unlike most of our favorite heroes, Jesus was not chosen in spite of Himself. Even our greatest heroes, our noblest heroes, our most perfect heroes are still only a shadow of the Hero we have in Christ. By virtue of His identity and by the power of His blood, He alone is able to open the scroll and initiate God’s plan to redeem the world.
65 thoughts on "The Lamb Is Worthy"
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Chris Timmons new song is all about this. He is worthy.
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This is probably a dumb question, but what are the seven spirts of God?
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I have the same question!
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The descriptions of heaven in this reading are so amazing from both Revelation and Ezekiel. No wonder both Ezekiel and John fell face down in worship. I can imagine I would do the same thing. I think about how much awe and wonder the things of this world stir up in me, and then to be face to face with the one who created all of this, in all of his splendor and glory…wow! I think of the song “I can only imagine.” Someday I won’t have to imagine but I will get to experience the beauty, glory, splendor for myself and fall on my face in worship of the only one who deserves it all.
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Today Lord Jesus
I bow
before the terror of your purity
your holiness,
righteous, God and King.
My heart weeps with gratitude
for I am yours.One day, Savior and Lord
Prostrate in your presence I will fall
Consumed. Yes.
Whole.
Refined,
and I will weep tears of worshipful joy
In the presence of the only One.
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God, the Almighty.
Worthy.Selah
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My youngest daughter sings a song at preschool that says “Jesus your my superhero”… yes, he is our superhero… better than all the rest…. dying for our sins, paving the way to Heaven.
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Thank you Lord for always seeking me out.
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Amen!
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Love this! God keeps coming towards us even when we reject Him or hide from Him.
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Praise God I’ve joined this group. Yes, he is worthy and I’m grateful that he was willing to be our sacrifice.
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