The Second Discourseman
‘The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”’
‘The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”’
I have written out the above verses not because I have anything insightful to say about them, but merely because I find them very beautiful; in particular, they are very beautiful pictures of the Lord Jesus as a person.
I love the description of his voice being ‘like the roar of many waters’; it reminds me of the release of the river-god in Prince Caspian:
‘The walls of the bridge turned into hedges gay with hawthorn for a moment and then disappeared as the whole thing with a rush and a rumble collapsed into the swirling water.’
The voice of our Lord contains a thousand melodies, both terrible and joyful.
I love to think of different churning waters, to stand on the edge of the Sea of Galilee and feel the spray of the night-time storm; then to slowly make out an approaching figure, steady amongst the waves, and realise it is my Lord.
We often describe Christianity as being about a person, and then focus on our personal relationship with him. But the fact that Jesus Christ is a real, living, breathing man goes beyond a one-to-one friendship. For John Newton, the name of Jesus sounding in his ear was the name of his ‘Prophet, Priest and King’.
- He is our Prophet, the very Word of God, whose teaching goes out like flowing rivers, sweeping over nations. Through him all things were created, and through him all things will be made new. Our hope is not in some abstract idea of a perfect world, but in the person who goes to prepare that world for us.
- He is our Priest, who made possible all the blessings of the gospel through his atoning death. Our assurance is not found in the mechanics of penal substitution, but in the righteousness, courage and love of the man who can say, “I died, and behold I am alive for evermore.”
- He is our King, who rules over us not as individuals but as one Church. He is the first, with an eternity of wisdom to lead us; he is the last, with unfathomable glory for us to enjoy. Neither our trust nor our desires are in ourselves but in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God.
And then, having considered Christ’s power, character and majesty, we return to Newton’s previous line, ‘O Jesus, shepherd, guardian, friend’. Our Lord walks to us through the waves of our trembling hearts, and we hear that quietest note among the roar of many waters: “It is I; do not be afraid.”
The Four Discoursemen 