A woodcut by Albrecht Durer depicting the opening of the fifth and sixth seals in John’s Revelation.
I’m kind of addicted to a series of weekend shows: Burn Notice, Criminal Minds and CSI. One of the things I like about these shows is the comeuppance. I know by the 53 minute mark (unless it is a two part story of a season finale) justice will be served. The bad guys will be humiliated or destroyed. Goodness and righteousness will prevail. Maybe it is my way of coping in a chaotic world. But I think it is something that we all want, no matter where we find ourselves. Consider this:
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?”
In Revelation 6.9-10, the One who can open the scrolls breaks the fifth seal, unveiling a host of martyrs. Their first words are not those of praise or relief, but of vengeance. They want to see those who murdered them taken down by Michael Westin, subdued by Agent Morgan, or mocked with a bad pun by Horatio Caine. From God’s perspective, it must have been disappointing. Where is their confidence in God’s righteousness; that is, that the Suffering Servant and Sacrificial Lamb are all the restitution necessary in the cosmos?
The Father and the Son give each martyr a white robe that envelops them in the sanctification of Christ and tell them to rest a little longer (6.11). They are ushered before the great throne in the temple and participate in the worship of the heavenly host. They are comforted in the presence of God and no longer cry words of vengeance but sing a new song, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (7.10). And while they see with John the great portents poured out upon the earth and its inhabitants, vengeance is never what God has in mind. Rather, it is repentance and salvation.
The Apostle John sees that in the End, God exudes patience, mercy and grace, and also knows that God has patience even with people like me who sometimes enjoy vengeance alongside mercy. Do you share the same struggle? How do you move from seeking vengeance to exhibiting mercy?
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