One of the purposes of Revelation is to help us to see Jesus. When the book says it is “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:1), it is not only a communication from Jesus it is a communication about Jesus. 

The Sunday School lesson was on Matthew 16 where Jesus asks His disciples what the scuttlebutt was about Him. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13)

After hearing what they had to say about what others thought, Jesus turns to them and asks, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). Peter speaks up and identifies Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The Sunday School teacher asked the class, “What wrong ideas do people have about Jesus and what do we tell them about Him?” That question provoked a number of helpful observations about what and how to tell others about Jesus.

One person made an interesting comment. He said that often we are too constrained in our descriptions about Jesus. We shortchange what could be said about Him and what should be said about Him to give others a proper understanding of His identity and mission.

That person’s comment rings true, particularly when the class had just been addressing who Jesus was not and presented with who He was in Matthew 16. In just those few verses Jesus is identified by four titles, each of which could comprise a lesson in itself – Jesus, Son of Man, the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And this doesn’t take into account the rich variety of descriptors found throughout Scripture, such as shepherd, light, rock, forgiver of sins, image of the invisible God, Son of David, the Word, Immanuel, I AM.

The challenge of giving people a fuller picture of Jesus is daunting but it is a challenge that is met in the book of Revelation.

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