Living by the Light of God - Lectionary Reflection for Easter 6C (Revelation 21-22)

Revelation 21:10, 22-27-22:1-5 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹⁰ And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. 

²² I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. ²⁵ Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. ²⁶ People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ²⁷ But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; ⁴ they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

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                Things go bump in the night because the night is dark and it’s difficult to see in the dark (unless you are a nocturnal species, but we humans are not nocturnal). So, we need light to see. It might be the sun, or it might be the moon, but light is helpful when it comes to daily living. But what if God is the light? If this is true then do we need the sun or the moon to light our path? According to John of Patmos, God’s glory provides sufficient light on our path.

                This Easter season has featured, at least for those who follow the Revised Common Lectionary, an opportunity to reflect on the message of the Book of Revelation. We’re nearing the completion of the journey. This penultimate reading from Revelation focuses on verses that straddle chapters 21 and 22. The lectionary provides a jumping-off point in verse 10 of chapter 21, where John sets the stage for what is to come. He speaks of being in the spirit, and in this position, an angel carries him to a great, high mountain, where John could look down on the “holy city of Jerusalem.” Now here’s the thing, this Jerusalem is coming down from heaven as a gift of God. It’s not something we build. We simply receive it.

                We skip over verses 11-21, where John describes the radiance of God’s glory that is present in the city, and we pick up on the next area of interest when it comes to the city. As for what we’re missing, let’s just say this Jerusalem is glorious.

                Having set the stage, John looks down on the city. The first thing he notices is that the city lacks a Temple. That’s because God is the Temple. God doesn’t need a house because God is present everywhere in the city. This isn’t a unique sentiment to a Jewish audience. We see this message revealed in Jeremiah: “²³ Am I a God near by, says the Lord, and not a God far off? ²⁴ Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord” (Jer. 23:23-24).  

                Here in Revelation, the message is set in cosmic terms, such that the city doesn’t need a sun or moon to provide light because the God who is present everywhere provides the light necessary to see. But we’re just getting started on this tour. While God is the light, the Lamb is the Lamp, and the nations now walk by the light, while the leaders of the world bring their lights into the city to join with the Lamb. While John often envisions the nations being in rebellion against God and thus subject to punishment, here the message is that the rulers of the nations have brought their glory into the city, such that there is now unity and peace as the nations join God’s coalition.  

                In the ancient world, safety was to be found inside the walls of the city. During the daylight hours, the gates of the city would have been left open so people could come and go as they needed. Of course, there would be guards at the gate, but as long as there wasn’t a threat, they just engaged in people-watching. However, when not fell, the gates to the city were closed. It’s harder to see what’s coming your way when darkness falls. So, it’s best to close the gates till morning. That’s just good security protocol. But in this scenario, the daylight hours extend forever. It’s a bit like summer at the north pole, except the sun never sets. Its daylight twenty-four hours a day, 365 days per year (366 in a leap year). Therefore, the people have nothing to fear. The fact that the gates never close suggests that access to God’s presence is now open to all. The barriers have been removed.

                The reading continues into chapter 22, where we encounter a river. It’s not just any river, it’s the river that flows with the water of life. It’s as bright as crystal and it flows from God’s throne and the throne of the Lamb. This river of the water of life flows down through the middle of the main street in this city of God. To give you a vision of a return to paradise, alongside the river of life, you will find the tree of life that bears twelve kinds of fruit. A different kind of fruit appears each month of the year. Yes, it’s the fruit of the month club in the city of God. The leaves on this tree have special powers. They provide healing for the nations. What a vision this is, especially at this moment in time when a destructive war is taking place in Ukraine. Yes, the nations of the world are wounded, but the leaves of this tree offer healing to the nations.

                The reference to the Tree of Life takes us back to the beginning of the biblical story. Remember that after the first couple partakes of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, God says to Godself (or to the heavenly council):

²² … “See, the humans have become like one of us, knowing good and evil, and now they might reach out their hands and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent them forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken. ²⁴ He drove out the humans, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life. (Gen. 3:22-24).    

After the exile from the Garden, the way was blocked so that the people of the earth would not have access to the Tree of Life, which is according to Genesis 3, the source of immortality. Now, in this new city, the gate is open and access to the Tree of Life has been restored. What was once forbidden is now made available. Thus, immortality is available to all who would partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life.

                Though the message is a bit cryptic here since John pictures the Tree of Life present on both sides of the River of Life. There are different ways of interpreting this that range from the tree straddling the river to an orchard running alongside the river, drawing sustenance from the River of Life. I like this latter image. The key here is that access to the Tree of Life is available to everyone in the city. The flaming sword has been replaced by the open gate.  

                With this vision of Paradise Restored before us, John adds in a caveat. He reminds us that nothing accursed will be found in the city. Instead, we find the throne of God and of the Lamb there in the city, where the servants of God gather for worship. As they worship, they see (we’ll see) God’s face. Yes, we’ll see God face to face! While certain apocalyptic visions prominent in recent decades make much of the possibility of the followers of the antichrist bearing a mark on their foreheads (usually some form of 666 or maybe a UPC), here we’re told that the servants of God will be marked with the name of God on their foreheads. We might think here of the anointing of the Spirit marking us as God’s children.

                The reading closes with a reminder that in this new creation, the night will disappear. There will be no need for any source of light, whether a lamp or a sun because God will be their light. When this occurs, the saints of God will join with God in reigning forever, for the realm of God will be complete. When John envisions reigning with God, he doesn’t have the earthly model in mind, a model that envisions holding power over others. Rather, in this case, reigning in the kingdom of God involves priestly service. So, now to dwell securely in the presence of God allows for priestly service, offering worship to the one who saves us, bringing renewal and healing to our lives. So, “Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod, with its crystal tide forever flowing by the throne of God?” [Robert Lowry, Chalice Hymnal, 701].