Revelation 5:4-5 4and I began weeping greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5And one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
John’s response to the problem that no one could be found to open the scroll was an emphatic weeping. The way forward seemed hopeless. Not only has the plot of the book reached a tragic end, but more profoundly and significantly, the human situation was headed to a dead end, with no hope for escape. The human story would end as soon as it began—without hope. Life for many people is like this, with no reason to go forward. John’s excessive weeping heightens the anticipation and affect of what comes next. This chapter reveals the way of escape for the hopeless human predicament.
The good news comes from the lips of one of the elders standing near John. Only the Lion of Judah can open the scroll. This is an astounding statement of exclusivity. There is only one way and one person to change the destiny of humanity. As Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Only Jesus is worthy and qualified; only he has conquered. Because of his perfect life, sacrificial death, and unprecedented resurrection is there any hope for humanity.
Jesus is described as the Lion of Judah. Judah was symbolized as a lion in the Old Testament (Genesis 49:9-10). Jesus is the Lion whom the Old Testament prefigured and looked forward to. The Root of David points to Jesus’ lineage from David, which qualified him to be king and the Messiah in the eyes of the Jewish people (Isaiah 11:1-2). Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies and covenants God made through Abraham and David. He has triumphed, and those who look to him will also triumph through the struggles of this world and will be victorious in the end.