“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. …He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! - Revelation 22:12-17, 20
Many times we spend a lot of Advent and Christmas looking back in remembrance. Sure, we may see glimpses of the second coming also in the prophecies, but we tend to forget that we also are waiting for the Messiah. And the book of Revelation? As a lay person, it feels a bit like the Bible on ‘hard mode.’ Is it literal? Is it symbolic? A mix?
I am definitely going to be the first in line to say that I don’t even pretend to understand everything about the book of Revelation. But thankfully, the author gives us the bottom line at the very end of the book, and this I do understand: Jesus is coming again to judge and will repay each of us for what we have done. Those of us who have ‘washed our robes’1 will find ourselves with the right to live in the city of God. And this invitation to join him? We are all given that invitation to ‘Come’ and asked to extend it to others.
And in the process of our waiting for this to come about, we can look back at how Israel waited for the first coming of the Messiah and try to learn from their mistakes as they repeatedly wandered away from God. Thankfully, we aren’t asked to follow the old Law, as we have been given a new one, which Jesus summarized very succinctly: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) If we truly try to follow this, our actions will be more aligned with how God desires us to live, which leads to peace and harmony.
So as we prepare to sit at the manger side with Mary and Joseph next week, are we inviting others to come with us? Are we reaching out to those around us who are thirsting for the water of life and sharing that living water? May we all cry out with John, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
While the word for “wash” does have a literal meaning of launder, it also had this addition: “used figuratively of those who by faith so appropriate the results of Christ’s expiation as to be regarded by God as pure and sinless.” This matches up with the footnote of “some manuscripts ‘do his commandments’”.