AN OLD MAN HALLUCINATES?

Here follow the readings for the Second Sunday of Epiphany

1 Samuel 3:1-10

New International Version (NIV)

The LORD Calls Samuel

 ¹ The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.  ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel.
   Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
 ⁶ Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
 ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
 ⁸ A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
 ¹⁰ The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
   Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Revelation 5:1-10

New International Version (NIV)

The Scroll and the Lamb

 ¹ Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴ I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  ⁶ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits^[a] of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:
   “You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
   and with your blood you purchased for God
   persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
   and they will reign^[b] on the earth.”

John 1:43-51

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

 ⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”  ⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
 ⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
   “Come and see,” said Philip.
 ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
 ⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
   Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
 ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
 ⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe^[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you,^[b] you^[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’^[d] the Son of Man.”



Some brief thoughts on the phrase in verse 11 of the New Testament reading for Sunday “…the one seated on the throne…”

This of course refers to John’s vision in Revelation 4, “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.”

I looked up some descriptions of the book of Revelation – just for fun. Here are some.

‘Beautiful beyond description!’
‘It either finds one mad or leaves one mad!’
‘The only masterpiece of pure art in the New Testament.’
‘A haphazard accumulation of weird symbols’

What always strikes me about this wonderfully weird book of Revelation is how cryptic it is. Almost as though John was writing in coded language to Christians to encourage them in a time of uncertainty and suffering in such a way as to avoid detection by the Roman authorities who were persecuting them.

This is an apocalyptic book. That is, it gives us a peep behind the scenes. A glimpse at the way the world REALLY is, not the way it seems to be to us -trapped in time and space.

Christians in Asia Minor (now Turkey) were under persecution by either Diocletian or Nero at that time and John describes seeing a door open in heaven and someone sitting on the throne – and it’s NOT NERO! As much as to say to suffering Christians,

‘Remember, things are not as they seem to be. The Emperor may seem to be on the throne and in charge but, in reality – in the real world – Jesus is on the throne. Things may seem to be out of control and your prayers may seem to go unanswered and your suffering may seem to be pointless but THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY SEEM TO BE! Jesus is actually still on the throne but only we Christians can see that.’

What a wonderfully simple and yet profound way to encourage a suffering people. When people are afraid because of economic suffering we can remind them that things are not out of control. There is order and purpose to it all. When people suffer indescribable agonies in Zimbabwe or the Middle East I really hope that Christians there are able to remind them that things are not what they seem to be. When we fall into sin and it seems that the evil one is rampant in our lives– things are not what they seem to be! Jesus Christ is still on the throne and he still loves us and is willing to forgive us unconditionally. When atheism and secular humanism seem to be gaining ground all around us – things are not what they seem to be! Jesus Christ is still on the throne. That is how we can gain mastery over all the challenges we face.

The other wonderful thing about this passage is the hallucination. Hallucination? Yes, if you read the passage carefully you notice that one of the elders points John to a lion – the lion of the tribe of Judah who has conquered. Yet when John looks for the lion he sees a Lamb which looked like it had been slaughtered. The lion of Judah, the Lamb of God.

Obviously (well it seems obvious to me) these are again coded references to Jesus and we are all familiar now with the beautiful image of Aslan in CS Lewis’ imagination. Two reflections here. On one level this is telling us something about the work and the ways of Jesus. His work because his power lay in his sacrificial death - like a lamb to the slaughter he did not open his mouth. His ways because in his life and ministry he always knew how to strike the perfect balance between strength and apparent weakness (of course it was not weakness at all).

On another level, as disciples, this is a wonderful pattern for us to strive to follow. I must strive every day, in the power of the Spirit, to be both lion and lamb – but in the right balance! That’s where the problem comes in. I see myself acting out these two roles every day but almost always in the wrong balance. I’m a lamb when I should be a lion! And then I’m a lion when I should be a lamb!

‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild…’ Well Jesus certainly wasn’t mild but he was meek. Lord, help me to be meek like you. A lion and a lamb in perfect balance.

Mark