Respect! // Revelation 5:5

I have to give Pastor Brent Ritter credit for today’s idea. When we realized today is Respect Your Cat Day, I joked that the real challenge in my house is making sure my cat respects me. Pastor Brent reminded me that Jesus is called the Lion of Judah in Book of Revelation 5, and that sparked a thought. In the passage, John sees a scroll sealed with seven seals—God’s plan to bring history to its conclusion and defeat evil. But no one is worthy to open it, and John begins to weep. Then an elder tells him: “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah… has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5). But when John looks, he doesn’t see a lion. He sees a Lamb that had been slain. The Lion of Judah is also the Lamb of God, who conquered sin through His sacrificial death. Heaven responds with worship: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Revelation 5:12)!

Now that is respect.

Jesus—the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God—defeated sin and death and invites us to share in His victory. So today, give thanks to the One who truly deserves our praise—the Lion who triumphed and the Lamb who was slain.