Jesus the Faithful Witness
This week, let's turn to the Book of Revelation. Your pulse is probably already going a bit faster hearing that. It's one of those books that either causes excitement or dread. The book begins with a glorious picture of Jesus. Revelation 1:5-6 says that Jesus Christ “is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”
Jesus is a Witness to the Truth
Jesus is “the faithful witness”. A witness is somebody who has seen something and testifies to the truth of that thing. According to Jesus himself when Pilate was questioning him in John 18, he came to earth to testify to the truth so that people could follow the truth and know the truth. Jesus is the faithful witness because he came and he taught the truth about God.
John is saying that his writing is also the Word of God, and Jesus gives witness to it. What does this mean for us? It means we can trust the words of the Scriptures as true - sealed by the witness of Christ. John Wesley, in his commentary on this verse, said this Jesus was “the faithful witness of the whole will of God before his death and in death and remains such in glory.” In other words, Jesus has seen it all. Jesus knows the truth in all its entirety. And so when He speaks, we listen and we trust in what He says.
We Can Trust Jesus
Who have you placed your trust in? Your own understanding of the world, in your experience? Or Jesus’ understanding of the world as the great witness from God? I've long since learned that my own experience is very limited, and it's only when I stand on the authority of God's Word that I can understand this world in some sense. If I don't believe in Jesus as the faithful witness, then everything just crumbles. But when I see Him and His words, as true, and the words that his Spirit inspired in his disciples for the rest of the New Testament as true - then things begin to make sense in my heart and in my mind.
Are We Faithful Witnesses?
Here's another question: Are you going to be a faithful witness? Are you going to, in your life witness to the truth of who God is? You know, there are so many false teachings and godless ways around us in our culture today. But Jesus is the one who stays faithful to the end will be rewarded. Be a faithful witness. Even though we don't have the full understanding Jesus does, we can still be witnesses to what He has done in our lives, basing it all on the faithful witness of Jesus himself.
