Day 355: Revelation 5:1–4

I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it (v. 4).

We can’t be certain what the scroll represents. One possibility is that it is like the one in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek. 2:9–10). That scroll contained words of lament and woe. Certainly the coming chapters announce woes, so the interpretation is plausible for the Revelation 5:1 scroll. But when Christ victoriously claims the scroll, the eruptions of praise cause me to wonder how the scroll can be associated with woes and laments alone. I tend to think the seals themselves involve wrath, but the words within unfold something glorious.

Interpreters pose another possibility—that the scroll represented the will or testament of God concerning the completion of all things on earth and the transition to all things in heaven. The ancient Romans sealed wills or testaments with six seals. A slight variation of this view compares the scene to the Roman law of inheritance. Some scholars believe the scroll is the title deed to earth.

It’s all very interesting. And though I’m curious, I am comfortable not knowing the exact identity of the scroll because, whatever it is, it is in the hands of Christ. But I am touched beyond measure by John’s response to what happens in verses 2 and 3, when the angel asks if anyone is “worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals” (hcsb). These events may not have happened over a simple matter of seconds. The verb tense of the Greek word for “proclaiming” may suggest the mighty angel could have repeated the question several times, scattering glances to and fro for someone who was worthy. The deafening silence that occurred when no one was able to answer the question only heightened the anxiety of those present. It certainly did for John. He himself admits that he “cried and cried.”

His weeping reminds us that the power and presence of the Holy Spirit doesn’t make us feel less. The Spirit brings life. Every one of John’s senses was surely quickened by what he saw and heard. His response to the sight of the throne must have been indescribable awe. When he heard the angelic proclamation, a tidal wave of grief crashed against that reverent backdrop. Yet John was not too big a man to show both ends of this emotional spectrum. I like that about him.