“Grace to you and peace…” was a formal greeting in the Christian circles during the first century. ‘Grace’ was a Hellenistic greeting and ‘peace’ (shalom) was a conventional Hebrew greeting. Combining these two words signifies the fulfilment of the spiritual blessings of God in Christ Jesus. This formula appears elsewhere in the New Testament epistles. This greeting is usually connected with a particular role of God and with the work of Jesus Christ.
The greeting of “grace and peace” by Jesus is set against Pax Romana – the Roman peace. The Romans were claimed to be peaceful because of the cease of wars and internal conflicts in their realm. The Pax Romana was measured in the terms of the absence of internal conflicts and protests. But this was maintained by violent means. Any upraise against the Roman government that disturbed the peace was soon suppressed by the violent execution. In simple words, peace for Romans was the presence of calmness at the expense of justice and the rights of the people. The peace was limited to the upper classes who enjoy the privileges of the Empire. The “grace and peace” in the Roman context was something fearful usage that denotes the tyrannical silencing of any voices against injustice and oppression. Countless rebels were crucified or executed publicly for disturbing the peace of the Empire. The presence of peace without justice is the resemblance of tyranny and trampling of the rights of people. When John greets the churches that are in fear of persecution and death, he brings the blessing of ‘grace and peace', not from the emperor but from the Sovereign Lord and God who is the faithful witness and the one who offers peace by self-sacrifice.
Here in the Book of Revelation, grace and peace are directed from Him who is and who was and who is to come. This title alludes to the self-revelation of God as “I AM who IAM” or “I AM there (with you)” in Exodus 3:14. This is rendered as YHWH,[1] the personal name of God. This name connotes the immediate presence of God and His entire being as Himself, having no equal title to communicate His entire nature. God revealed this name when the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt experiencing the oppression and great affliction under Pharaoh in Egypt. God revealed Himself as the One who is always present, especially, along with those victims of injustice and oppression. By alluding to the Exodus traditions of Israel, again and again, John makes it clear throughout the Revelation that the imperial powers of his day are nothing less than Pharaoh of the Egypt who oppressed the people of God.[2] By defining the emperor as a new pharaoh, John prepares the audience to encounter God of Israel who would overthrow the imperial powers to liberate the victims of injustice.
This name also has a liberative function, for the liberation of Israelites from Egypt was not begun with the exodus event rather it is inaugurated by the revelation of the name of God. He appears as the God of those who hear the cries of the victims of the evil forces, cares for them and overthrows the fantasies of Pharaoh who claims to be sovereign. Now, John uses this title to greet the churches that are facing threat from the Roman government in the terms of persecution and suffering. God is the one who is in the affliction of the Church. He is the one who was in the past. His future presence is denoted not as the one who shall be but as the one who is to come to show His coming in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge and to renew the creation and to dwell among the people. God’s coming was both threatening of judgement (Amos 5:16-20; Mic. 1:2-4) as well as a source of hope for redemption (Isa. 40:10; Zech. 14).
In Koester’s words, John begins with God’s present existence (“the One who is”), following the precedent of Moses; and instead of speaking of God’s future existence, he speaks of God’s future “coming,” since God will come through the advent of Jesus Christ. Identifying God in this way also prepares for later polemics against the beast, whose traits are a demonic imitation of divine power….[3]
In the original Greek text of Revelation, these words are written in a style that violates all the Greek grammatical principles. It might lead us to presuppose that the first language of John might be Hebrew or Aramaic, not Greek. However, in the other places, John adhered to the grammar whenever necessary. This could mean that he chose to write beyond the rules to a countercultural message through a countercultural writing style. “It emphasizes that neither John nor the God to whom he bears witness is held captive by the social conventions of the imperial world.”[4]
In our world, peace is declared in times when there is no peace. The oppressive political leaders and the authorities of the nation behave as if all is going well. In the communal gatherings, they boast of their achievements and promise many things with flattering lies. But the peace in our nation is actually absent. Their declarations of peace are at the expense of denying the injustice, suffering and oppression. Their numbness causes the people to become numb and never notice the dark realities around them. These leaders speak as if everything is normal and everything is functioning well, in order and perfection. All that they want to present is calmness, not peace. They deprive the rights of the people so that they can make these victims live in their mercy. They silence any cry that raises against them. They criticize the fearless journalists who try to show the darkest dimensions of the nation. They can infuse hatred, cause violence, endorse suppression of the voices that cry for injustice, and still deceive people with their narrative of peace. They are but the idols who never hear nor see nor respond even if everything is disturbed right before them.
They say peace when they force people to evacuate their homes and villages; when the nation is on the roads fighting for its life; when the poor and weak are forced to live at the mercy of their tyrant lords; when the farmers fight for their rights; when those human rights activists are imprisoned to death; when religious intolerance is at its peak; and when everything falling into disorder. All the words they have to say is peace, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and ache din ayega.
While the COVID-19 cases are increasing at a rapid rate, hospitals overflowing with the number of patients, medical equipment running out, and deaths are countless, our leaders can still narrate their version of “victory over the coronavirus.” They can speak as if nothing is worst at all. They show themselves as if they really care about the victims. They do all attempts to narrate things as if they are caused because of misfortune. But no. Those terrific episodes were not because of misfortune but because of injustice. Yet they come before the citizens proclaiming peace, peace when there is no peace (Jer. 6:14). But the God we see in the Bible is not a King like these pharaohs. His prophets are not the puppets of the deceptive powers. He breaks through history, to create peace – not a peace offered by the numb political systems. His grace and peace create the presence of justice, righteousness and compassion. He is not a scarecrow in a cucumber field!
God’s reign through His Messiah, Jesus, is a lot unlike the imperialistic powers of this world, then and now. Jesus the Messiah is not a king like Pharaoh who would reject the pleas for compassion. He is not like Solomon who would oppress the people for his own royal benefits. He is not like Herod who would enjoy the cries of the victims to secure his throne. He is not like Caesar who would subjugate nations and make them serve his own needs. No! Jesus is not a king after the political ideals of this world. Here, in Revelation 1:5, Jesus is introduced as the faithful witness. The word witness is translated from the Greek word marturion which is also a word for martyr. Witnessing and faithfulness are closely connected. A martyr is someone who does not negotiate his/her loyalty for the sake of temporal benefits. Calling Jesus as the faithful witness brings Him close to the suffering community. He is someone who remained faithful/loyal to God even to the extent of his own martyrdom. He has the taste of injustice, oppression, and suffering because of the imperialistic rulers. Although Christ died at the hands of the unjust rulers, He rules them by the power of His resurrection. Therefore, this King, to whom the audience is called to show allegiance, is not someone who stays indifferent to the dark realities of the world, narrating his own version of peace, but someone whose kingship is defined in terms of service, compassion, and humility. The audience is called to be loyal to this faithful witness instead of submitting themselves “to lesser authorities who oppose the will of God.”[5]
[1]The name of God in the Old Testament, YHWH, is a four consonant lettered noun with no vowel sounds. The Hebrews avoided the pronunciation of this name by reading it as Adonai (My Lord). Therefore, we do not have the precise pronunciation of this name. Though the alternative readings are suggested, such as Yahweh or Jehovah, they do not comprise the exact rendering. Thus, it is rendered as LORD, with all capitals, in many English versions of the Bible. [2] Reddish, SHBC: Revelation, 35. [3] Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, 47. [4] Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, 48. [5] Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, 48.
Comentarios