[Read Revelation 19-20]
Revelation isn’t your typical text for a Good Friday service. I realize that. Yet, there’s something powerful in looking at Good Friday from an unfamiliar angle. It breaks our brains a little bit. It prevents our minds from running in the ruts we’ve followed for so many years.
There’s some striking similarities between these two events in history. We can summarize chapters 19-20 by three events. There’s the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; there’s the defeat of Satan and his army; and there’s the great white throne judgment. Now, take these three events, and think back to the events leading up to Good Friday—think about the passages we’ve read tonight.
As we tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, we can begin in a variety of places—one of those places is an upper room. Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover. So, they gathered in an upper room to eat together. The meal was mixed with celebration and sorrow. The meal was a reminder of God’s protection of his people—how he protected them from the angel of death through a sacrificial lamb—and how God brought them out of Egypt into his presence. So, it was a celebration.
But this night, the celebration was mixed with sorrow. As they were eating Jesus said, ““Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.”” (Mark 14:18–20, ESV).
Yes, they were sorrowful because someone was going to betray Jesus—one of his close companions, one of his disciples was going to betray Jesus—yet, there was more cause for sorrow. “And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:22–24, ESV). There was sorrow as Jesus held up a piece of bread, said “This is my body” and then broke it in front of them. Then he took a cup of wine and said “This is MY blood…which is poured out for many.” The celebratory meal of God’s deliverance, became a meal of grief and mourning and confusion. Why was Jesus talking about his body being broken and his blood being poured out?
When we pair this picture with the book Revelation, we see things differently, don’t we? We’re reminded that sorrow and celebration aren’t disconnected realities. This sorrowful celebration meal was not ONLY looking back to the first Passover, it was pointing forward to Jesus’ death AND pointing BEYOND his death to the picture we see in Revelation— the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? As the disciples ate this celebratory meal—celebrating God’s deliverance of His people—they grieved the upcoming death of Jesus Christ—the ULTIMATE WAY God would deliver his people. The passover meal was pointing forward to this event, which was pointing forward to this song in Revelation 19: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” (Revelation 19:6–8, ESV). But don’t forget, we don’t get to this feast apart from the cross. Sorrow and celebration aren’t disconnected realities.
As the imagery of this meal works itself out, we see Jesus falsely accused, mocked, beaten, bruised, and hanging on a cross. We see his body broken and his blood poured out. We see one of his disciples betray him and the rest desert him in fear. We hear the haunting words of the disciples, “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:21, ESV). On Friday night and throughout Saturday, there was sorrow and defeat. To all who followed Jesus it seemed like all hope was lost. They had hoped he was a savior. They had hoped he would bring deliverance. Now he was dead and gone. Defeated.
Yet, when we compare this picture with Revelation, we’re reminded that sorrow and celebration aren’t disconnected realities. On Good Friday, and throughout Saturday, it SEEMED like Jesus had been defeated—overcome. Yet, in Revelation we see another picture: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11–16, ESV). Here we see a different picture. The disciples thought Jesus had been defeated. They thought he had lost the battle. They were wrong. Here, we’re NOT given a picture of a defeated savior, but One who rides out in victory as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Yet, notice that his robe—his victory robe—is dipped in blood. This reminds us that Jesus’ victory came through suffering—it came through shedding his blood on the cross. The SEEMING defeat was actually his victory. The sorrow of that moment was deeply connected with the celebration of His victory. Sorrow and celebration are connected realities.
All of this brings us to the end of Revelation 20: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” (Revelation 20:11–12, ESV). This is a reminder of the powerful truth spoken in the book of Hebrews: “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV). This is something we will all face one day. Every one of us will stand before the throne of God and receive judgment. And the verdict of that judgment will depend on whether your name is written in “the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8, ESV). And your name can only be written in that book by remembering what Jesus did on the cross and trusting in him for the forgiveness of your sins.
Notice that all of this points back to this night—all of this points back to Good Friday. The final Wedding Feast is impossible apart from this night. The victorious King of kings and Lord of lords is impossible apart from this night. The Book of Life is impossible if the lamb hadn’t been slain. This night—the night that Jesus hung on the cross and died—was the turning point of all history. Yes, there was suffering. But don’t forget, suffering and celebration are connected realities.