Sermon by the rev'd. John Bauerschmidt

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C
May 20, 2001
Christ Church, Covington

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Rev. 22:1-2).

This Eastertide, we read from the Revelation to John, which gives us a chance to look at the Resurrection of Jesus from a different angle. Our reading this week gives us a vision of redemption; a vision of the renewal of life which lies at the heart of the Easter season. In Easter, we confess that Jesus has risen from the dead; the vision from Revelation embroiders upon this truth and draws us a picture of what new life means for us.

The picture we are given is one of renewal. The angel of Revelation shows John a vision very similar to the one given earlier to the prophet Ezekiel, who saw in his vision the ruined city Jerusalem rebuilt, and the waste places around it transformed by waters flowing from the Temple, God’s dwelling place. Zechariah and Joel have similar prophecies, in which "living waters" (Zech. 14:8) renew the desert and bring a blessing. Ezekiel, living in the time of exile in Babylon, envisions the flowing waters transforming the Dead Sea into fresh water, teeming with fish; along the banks of the river will grow trees that will give fruit each month, and whose leaves will be for healing. Ezekiel’s vision concludes with the division of the renewed land, now a fitting home for God’s People.

The vision of John has another precedent, as well. In Genesis, God creates Paradise as the home of the human race; a place well watered by the river which runs out of Eden, and which divides into four branches. This Paradise is a garden, containing within itself not only the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but also the tree of life. Ezekiel’s vision clearly builds upon the Genesis story, depicting the restored Jerusalem as a Paradise of sorts, a garden in which God’s People are at home.

John’s vision echoes with these earlier prophecies, and with something more. The "river of the water of life" flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb, who is Christ; the Lamb of sacrifice who is at the center of the throne. John’s city is well watered, with the tree of life growing all around; here, I think, we have to imagine not one tree, but many trees of the same kind. These trees produce fruit each month, and their leaves are for "the healing of the nations". There is no Temple in the city, because of the presence of God and of the Lamb; nor is there need of sun or moon. "For the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb" (Rev. 21:23).

The Revelation to John gives us a global perspective, if you will, on the meaning of the redemption won by Christ. The transformed city Jerusalem is one that comes down from heaven from God; it is the heavenly Jerusalem, the redeemed Creation. All Creation is renewed by the Resurrection; the waste places of the earth are given new life, even those waste places that humanity itself has created. God has remade all things, taking the work of the first Creation and making all things new. The coincidence of the yearly rebirth of the earth in the Spring, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, has an intentional symmetry. Christ’s rising is the sign that the healing of Creation has begun, and that the Spring that never ends has now begun.

The leaves of the tree of life in John’s vision are for "the healing of the nations", as well; a detail with universal scope that John adds to the words of Ezekiel’s vision. Revelation is saying to us that all peoples, and not just God’s People, are citizens of this city; or from another angle, that all the nations have now become a part of the People of God. Our reading also tells us that into the heavenly Jerusalem the kings of the earth bring their glory; not only the peoples, but their leaders, are included in this universal and political vision. Christ the Lamb, and his City, have the superiority before which all nations and peoples must fall down. Here we see not only the cruelty of the Roman Empire being overcome by the Dominion of Christ, but also our own political regimes being placed in their proper perspective as at the very least finite and limited in their scope and virtue.

The Revelation to John gives us a vision with a global perspective, reminding us that the resurrection of Jesus Christ means the renewal of all Creation, and the transformation of its structures and the relationships of peoples. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God is remaking our world and establishing a home in which we can live and be at rest. The river of the water of life is refreshing our world, through God’s mighty action in Jesus Christ.

The Rev’d John Bauerschmidt is Rector of Christ Church, Covington.

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