Doubt, Hope, and Revelation

And another thing!

“Doubting” Thomas always takes a starring role on the second Sunday of Easter. His initial skepticism gives those of us who read the gospels another view of Jesus’ resurrection.

In the other readings for this year’s Easter season, we’ll get a glimpse of what’s happening in heaven through the book of Revelation. Revelation has a reputation in popular culture. Some branches of the Christian church use it to frighten people into correct behavior or right belief. Revelation was written to be a message of hope to a church that was uncertain about its future. The church was persecuted by the Empire. Many things are written in a code that’s hard for us to understand. I have to believe that the vision John saw of heaven itself was more than words could describe in any case.

Long story short, let’s listen to these words to get a glimpse behind the veil. Let’s let them reveal to us who God is what is God’s gracious will for the universe.

In Revelation 1:4-8, we hear that Jesus is coming on the clouds and that “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.” That’s certainly a sobering image. We know that, while we may not have held a spear at Jesus’ crucifixion, each of us has done things that have hurt the heart of God. The same passage describes Jesus as “him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.” The judgment may be scary, but the judge is biased in our favor. We have been “made…to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.” Wail we might, but we do not wail as those who have no hope. We cry out to welcome our Lord and King.