I find myself time and again going back to Revelation 5. I wrote a post about this chapter a while back, but I’d like to look at it again, this time seeing what the passage tells us about politics. If you remember, that passage is key to understanding Revelation, and I think gives insight on the whole New Testament. The apostle John is in the throne room of God, looking at a sealed scroll that no one has sufficient security clearance to open (my paraphrase). Then he is told that the conquering Lion of Judah, the Root of David, can open the scroll. This is kingly language. Lion of Judah. Root of David. Triumph. That sounds like a hero to stand up to the persecuting Roman empire. That’s what these suffering Christians need. That’s how they can overcome Rome. Power!

Then John turns and sees a lamb. Not just a lamb, but a lamb with its throat slit. A sacrificed lamb. What happened to the lion? Where’s the king? Where’s the power? The Lamb has seven horns, sign of perfect power in biblical terms. Still, this lamb was slain. Then we are told the unthinkable, as the inhabitants of heaven sing to the Lamb: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain…” Because you were slain. The Lamb conquered by dying. By being sacrificed.

And so John introduces us to the politics of the Lamb. How was the church going to overcome Rome? Not by meeting sword with sword but by meeting sword with bared neck. They would conquer by being faithful unto death, that is, by laying down their lives. They would triumph with blood, not ballots nor bullets. They were to stand up to the Roman empire, but not with violence, social agitation or noisy protests. They were to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, being faithful witnesses, following in the footsteps of the One who testified to Pilate and Herod by letting them nail Him to a cross. “It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.” (Matthew 10:25)

How would we today have dealt with the Roman empire? Maybe we could get Christians into influential positions at a local, national and international level. Work through the political system. Let influential members speak with their friends in high places. Or we could imitate the Jewish sicarii and let our weapons do the talking. It’s an evil empire, so armed resistance is justified. Everyone knows all that stuff in the Sermon on the Mount wasn’t really meant to be put into practice.

But that’s not what we see in Revelation Chapter 5. The Lion is a Lamb. Triumph comes through sacrifice, power expresses itself in meekness. The Lamb’s chosen way is not easy. We’d rather be called to overcome through military strength, to wield political power, to use society’s tools to change society. We want the Lion, not the Lamb. But victory comes not through wielding the sword but through yielding to the sword.

How do we live out the way of the Lamb in the 21st century?