The Excellency of Christ (Part 1)

Jonathan Edwards

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain.
(Revelation 5:5-6)

SUBJECT: There is an admirable connection in the different excellencies of Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION

The visions and revelations the apostle John had of the future events of God’s providence are introduced here with a vision of the book of God’s decrees, by which those events were foreordained.

This is represented in verse 1 as a book in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, “written within and on the back side, and sealed with seven seals.” Books, in the form in which they were made, were broad leaves of parchment or paper, or something of that nature, joined at one edge, and rolled up together. They were then sealed, or in some way fastened together to prevent them from unfolding and opening. So we read the roll of a book in Jeremiah 36:2.

It seems to have been just such a book of which John had a vision. So it is said to be “written within and on the back side,” i.e. on the inside pages, and also on one of the outside pages, viz that in which it was rolled, in rolling the book up together.

It is said to be “sealed with seven seals.” This signifies that what was written in it was perfectly hidden and secret, or that God’s decrees of future events are sealed and shut up from all possibility of being discovered by anyone until God is pleased to make them known.

We find that seven is often used in Scripture as the number of perfection. it signifies the superlative or most perfect degree of anything. This probably arose from the seventh day when God beheld the works of creation finished, and rested and rejoiced in them, as being complete and perfect.

When John saw this book, he tells us, he “saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?’ And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.” And that he wept much, because “no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look thereon.” (Revelation 5:2-4).

He then tells us how his tears were dried up, namely, that “one of the elders said unto him, “Weep not, Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed” etc. as in our text.

No man or angel nor any creature could lossen the seals, not was worthy to be admitted to the privilege of reading the book. This was declared for the comfort of this beloved disciple: that only Christ was found both able and worthy.

We have an account in the succeeding chapters of how He actually did it. He opened the seals in order, first one and then another, revealing what God had decreed should come to pass.

We have an account in this chapter of His coming and taking the book out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, and of the joyful praises that were sung to Him in heaven and earth on that occasion

Many things can be observed in the words of the text, but it is my purpose today only to take notice of the two distinct names that are given to Christ.

1. He is called a Lion. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He seems to be called the Lion of the tribe of Judah in reference to what Jacob said in his blessing of the tribe on his death-bed.
   
   When Jacob came to bless Judah, he compares him to a lion, Genesis 49:9, “Judah is a lion’s welp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?”
   
   And also Lion could refer to the standard of the camp of Judah in the wilderness, on which was displayed a lion, according to the ancient tradition of the Jews. It is because of the acts of David that the tribe of Judah (David’s tribe) is in Jacob’s prophetic blessing compared to a lion, but more especially with an eye to Jesus Christ, who also was from that tribe, ,and was descended from David. He is called in our text “the Root of David.” Therefore Christ is here called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”
2. He is called a Lamb. John was told of a Lion that had been able to open the book. He probably expected to see a lion in his vision. But while he is looking for a Lion, a Lamb appears to open the book. This is the opposite of a lion! A lion slaughters and eats his prey. No creature more easily falls prey to him than a lamb. And Christ is here represented not only as a Lamb, a creature very liable to be slain, but a “Lamb as it had been slain” with the marks of its deadly wounds already appearing on it
   
   The teaching plainly seen here is this: “There is an admirable diversity in the excellencies of Jesus Christ.”
   
   The lion and the lamb, although very different kinds of creatures, each have their peculiar excellencies. The lion excels in strength, and in the majesty of his appearance and voice. The lamb excels in meekness and pataience. In addition, it is good for food, and yields that which is fit for our clothing and as an offering in sacrifice to God.
   
   I the test, we see that Christ is compared to both, because the diverse excellencies of both wonderfully meet in Him. In handling this subject I would:

1. Show wherein there is an admirable diversity in the excellencies of Christ.
2. Show how this diversity appears in Christ’s life.

And then make an application for us today.

SECTION 1
I would show where there is an wonderful diversity in the excellencies of Jesus Christ

This appears in three things:

• First, the excellencies of Christ, as in how we see Him, are very different from one another.
• Second, these differences on face value seem incompatible, yet are necessary.
• Third, such different excellencies are exercised by Him towards us. Otherwise it would have seemed impossible to be exercised towards the same object.

First, the excellencies o Christ, as we see them, are very different from one another. Christ is God, and therefore has all the attributes of God. The difference between these is chiefly relative, and in our manner of seeing them. These differences meet in the Person of Jesus Christ. I shall mention two instances.

A. Jesus Christ is infinitely exalted and infinitely humbled. Christ, as he is God, is infinitely great and high above all. He is higher than the kings of the earth, for He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is higher than the heavens, and higher than the highest angels of heaven. He is so great that all men, all kings, and all princes are as worms before Him.

All nations are like the drop of the bucket, and the light dust of the balance, yea, and angels themselves are as nothing before Him. He is so high that He is infinitely above any need of us, above our reach that we cannot be profitable to Him, and above our conceptions that we cannot comprehend Him. Proverbs 30:4, “What is his name, and what is his Son’s name, if thou canst tell?” Our understandings, if we stretch them never so far, cannot reach up to His divine glory. Job 11:8: “It is high as heaven, what canst thou do?” Christ is the Creator and gave Possessor of heaven and earth.

He is sovereign Lord of all. He rules over the whole universe, and does whatever He pleases. His knowledge is without bound. His wisdom is perfect, and none can go around Him. His power is infinite, and none can resist Him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely awesome.

Yet He is also of infinite humility. None is so low or inferior, but Christ’s condescension is sufficient to take a gracious notice of him. He was brought low not only to the angels, humbling Himself to behold thee things that are done in heaven, but He also condescends to such poor creatures as we.

He not only takes notice of princes and great men, but of those that are of the lowest rank and degree, “the poor of the world,” James 2:5. Those who are commonly despised by their fellow creatures, Christ does not despise, 1 Corinthians 1:28: “Base things of the world, and things that are despised, hath God chosen.”

Christ condescends to take notice of beggars (Luke 16:22) and people of the most despised and poor nations. In Christ Jesus is neither “Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free” Colossians 3:11. He that is thus high condescends to take gracious notice of little children. Matthew 19:14, “Suffer little children to come unto me.”

Not only that, but His humility is sufficient to take gracious notice of the most unworthy, sinful creatures, those that deserve nothing, and those that deserve infinite wrath.

Yet, so great is His humility, that it is not only sufficient to take some gracious notice of ones like these, but sufficient for everything that we can imagine. His condescension is great enough for Him to become their friend and companion, and to unite their souls to Him in spiritual marriage It is enough to take their nature upon Him, and become one of them, so that He may be one with them.

It is great enough to lower Himself even lower for them, even to expose Himself to shame and spitting, and yielded up Himself to a terrible death for them. And what act of condescension could be greater?

Yet such an act as this has His humility going toward us: those that are so low and sinful, despicable and totally unworthy!

Such a contrast of infinite highness and lowness in the same Person is admirable. In many ways, we see what tendency a high position has in men.. It can make them arrogant. If one worm is in a little exalted above another by having more dust or a bigger dunghill, how much does he make of himself! If he is condescending at all, he expects that much should be made of it.

Christ condescends to wash our feet, but how would grest men (or rather the bigger worms) account themselves debase by acts of far less humility!

B. We see in Jesus Christ infinite justice and infinite grace. As Christ is a divine Person, He is infinitely holy and just, hates sin, and is disposed to execute condign punishment for sin. He is the Judge of the world, and the infinitely just Judge of it, and will not at all acquit the wicked, or by any means clear the guilty.

Yet He is infinitely gracious and merciful. Though His justice is so strict with respect to all sin and every breach of the law, yet He has grace sufficient for every sinner, and even the chief of sinners. It is not only sufficient for God to show mercy and bestow good to the most unworthy, but to bestow the greatest good..

It is sufficient to bestow all good pon them, and to do all things for them. There is no benefit or blessing that they can receive so great but the grace of Christ is sufficient to bestow it on the greatest sinner that ever lived. And not only so, but so great is His grace, that nothing is too much as the means of this good.

It is sufficient not only to do great things, but also to suffer in order to do it; and not only to suffer, but to suffer most extremely even unto death, the most terrible of natural evils; and not only death, but the most terrible and tormenting, and every way the most terrible that men could inflict.

Indeed, men could only torment Christ’s body. He endured greter sufferings. He had sufferings in His soul that were the more immediate fruits of the wrath of God against the sins of those for whom He undertakes.

Second, there do meet in the person of Christ such really different excellencies, which otherwise would have been thought utterly incompatible in the same subject: such as are not found in any other person, either divine, human, or angelical; and such as neither men nor angels would ever have imagined could have met together in the same person, had it not been seen in the person of Christ. I would give some instances.

A. In the person of Christ we see infinite glory and lowest humility. Infinite glory and the virtue of humility meet in no other person but Christ. They meet in no created person, for no created person has infinite glory; and they meet in no other divine person but Christ. Although the divine nature is infinitely abhorrent to pride, yet humility is not properly predicable of God the Father and the Holy Ghost, that exists only in the divine nature, because it is a proper exellency only of a created nature For it consists radically in a sense of a comparative lowness and smallness before God, or the great distance between God and the subject of this virtue.

But in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, than two diverse excellencies are sweetly united. He is the Person infinitely exalted in glory and dignity. Philemon 2:6, “Being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” There is equal honor due to Him with the Father. John 5:23, “That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.” God Himself says to Him, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever,” Hebrews 1:6, “Let all the angels of God worship hiim.”

But however He is above all, yet He is lowest of all in humility. There never was so great an instance of this virtue among either men or angels as Jesus. None ever was so sensible of the distance between God and Him, or had a heart so lowly before God as the man, Christ Jesus (Matthew 11:29). What a wonderful spirit of humility appeared in Him in all His behavior while He was here upon earth! He was content in His base outward condition: living in the family of the carpenter Joseph and his mother Mary for thirty years together; and afterwards choosing outward plainness, poverty, and contempt, rather than earthly greatness; in washing His disciples’ feet; in all His speeches and treatment of them; in cheerfully sustaining the form of a servant throughout His whole life; and in submitting to such immense humiliation at death!

B. In the person of Christ there is infinite majesty and transcendent meekness. These again are two qualifications that meet together in no other person but Christ. Meekness, properly so called, is a virtue proper only to the creature. We scarcely ever find meekness mentioned as a divine attribute in Scripture, at least not in the New Testament. It seems to be a calmness and quietness of spirit arising from humility in mutable being that are naturally liable to be put into a ruffle by the assaults of a tempestuous and injurious world. But Christ, being both God and man, has both infinite majesty and superlative meekness.

Christ was a person of infinite majesty. It is He that is spoken of in Psalms 45:3, “Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mot mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.” It is He that is mighty, that rideth on the heavens and His excellency on the sky. He is terrible out of His holy places, who is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea; before whom a fire gos and burns up His enemies round about; at whose presence the earth quakes and the hills melt; who sits on the circle of the earth and all the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; who rebukes the sea and makes it dry and dries up the rivers; whose eyes are as flames of fire; from whose presence, and from the glory of whose power, the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction; who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who has heaven for His throne and the earth for His footstool; and is the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of whose dominion there is no end.

Yet he was the most marvelous instance of meekness and humble quietness of spirit that was ever, agreeable to the prophecies of Him. Matthew 21:4-5, “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” And, agreeable to what Christ declares of Himself, Matthew 11:29, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” And agreeable to what was manifest in His behavior, for there never was such an instance seen on earth of meek behavior under injuries and reproaches, and towards enemies, who when He was reviled, reviled not again.

He had a wonderful spirit of forgiveness, was ready to forgive His worst enemies, and prayed for them with fervent and effectual prayers. With what meekness did He appear in the ring of soldiers that were contemning and mocking Him. He was silent, and opened not His mouth, but went as a lamb to the slaughter. Thus is Christ a Lion in majesty and a Lamb in meekness.

C. There is in the person of Christ the deepest reverence towards God and equality with God. Christ, when on earth, appeared full of holy reverence toward the Father. He paid the most reverential worship to Him, praying to Him with postures of reverence. Thus we read of His “kneeling down and praying” Luke 22:41. This became Christ, who had taken on human nature, but at the same time existed in the divine nature, whereby His person was in all respects equal to the person of the Father. God the Father has no attribute or perfection that the Son does not also have in equal degree and equal glory. These things meet in no other person but Jesus Christ.

D. There are together in the person of Christ infinite worthiness of good and the greatest patience under sufferings of evil. He was perfectly innocent, and deserved no suffering. He deserved nothing from God by any guilt of His own, and He deserved no ill from men. Yea, He was not only harmless and undeserving of suffering, but He was not only harmless and undeserving of suffering, but He was infinitely worthy.

Worthy of the infinite love of the Father, worthy of infinite and eternal happiness, and infinitely worthy of all possible esteem, love, and service from all men. And yet He was perfectly patient under the greatest sufferings that ever were endured in this world Hebrews 12:2, “He endured the cross, despising the shame.”

He suffered not from His Father for His faults, but ours. He suffered from men not for His faults, but for those things on account of which He was infinitely worthy of their love and honor, which made His patience the more wonderful and the more glorious. 1 Peter 2:20, etc., “For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently, but if when we do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently; this is acceptable with God This is how you are called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps. He who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not. He who committed himself to him that judges righteously. He who has own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, should live again unto righteousness. He by whose stripes ye were healed.”

There are no other examples of innocence, worthiness, and patient under sufferings as are in the person of Christ.

E. In the person of Christ are both a spirit of obedience and supreme dominion over heaven and earth. Christ is the Lord of all things in two ways: He is so as God-man and Mediator, and thus His dominion is appointed, and given Him of the Father. Having it by delegation from God, He is as it were the Father’s personal Administrator. Yet He is Lord of all things in another way, viz. as He is (by His original nature) God. So He is by natural right the Lord of all, and supreme over all as much as the Father. Thus, He has dominion over the world not by delegation, but in His own right. He is not an under-god, as the Arians believe, but to all intents and purposes, He is the supreme God.

(To be continued …)