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224 How Are the Christian Scriptures Confirmed by the Peculiar Glory of God?
The Lion and the Lamb United
Jonathan Edwards summed it up in a great sermon called “The Excellencies
of Christ.” He drew attention to Revelation 5:5–6, where Christ
appears as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” and as “a Lamb standing, as
though it had been slain.” This is the picture of the paradoxes of Lion
and Lamb. He is both a lion-like Lamb and a lamb-like Lion. A lion is
admirable for its ferocious strength and imperial appearance. A lamb is
admirable for its meekness and servant-like provision of wool for our
clothing. But even more admirable is the union of seeming opposites—a
lion-like Lamb and a lamb-like Lion. What makes Christ glorious, as
Edwards put it, is “an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies.” 9
For example, echoing Edwards, 10 we admire Christ for his transcendence,
but even more because the transcendence of his greatness is
mixed with submission to God. We marvel at him because his uncompromising
justice is tempered with mercy. His majesty is sweetened by
meekness. In his equality with God he has a deep reverence for God.
Though he is worthy of all good, he was patient to suffer evil. His sovereign
dominion over the world was clothed with a spirit of obedience
and submission. He baffled the proud scribes with his wisdom but was
simple enough to be loved by children. He could still the storm with a
word but would not strike the Samaritans with lightning or take himself
down from the cross.
There is a template in the human heart created by God ready to
receive with self-authenticating certainty such divine glory. We were
made to know and enjoy this person, Jesus Christ, the lowly incarnation
of the all-glorious God. We may sense it in our weariness or in
our worldwide dreams. But we know. It is written in our hearts: this
God-man is true.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am
gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30). The lamb-like
gentleness and humility of this Lion woos us in our weariness. And we
9
Jonathan Edwards, “The Excellency of Christ,” in Sermons and Discourses: 1734–1738, vol. 19, The
Works of Jonathan Edwards, ed. M. X. Lesser (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001), 565.
10
In this section, I am using some thoughts from John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ (Wheaton,
IL: Crossway, 2004), 29–34.