I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.’

Revelation 22:16

Christ describes Himself as ‘the Root and the Offspring of David.’  These two self-descriptions deserve separate treatments.  How is Christ ‘the Root of David?’  A root is the foundation of a tree.  In one sense it is the origin of the tree.  From it the tree derives nourishment and stability.  The root system is the giver of life to the tree.  David was the sweet psalmist of Israel and their beloved king.  The city of Jerusalem still houses his tomb and his star is the symbol of the nation.  Christ says, ‘I am the Root of David.’  Between Christ and David there is a particularly close relationship.  Here, Christ alludes to one aspect of that relationship.  As the creator, Christ gave life to David.  He is David’s Originator.  To David He gave nourishment and stability.  David flourished as does a tree because of Christ.  We are the spiritual inheritors of David’s Christ. As Christ was David’s creator, so also Christ is our Creator.  From Him we have our origin.  From Him we have nourishment and stability.  By our relation to Him we are ‘like the tree, planted beside the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in his season.  His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he does shall prosper.’

Our Glorious Living Christ,
we rejoice that all we are and have is from You.
We praise You that You give to us
life, breath, and all things.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.  I am the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.

Revelation 22:16

We have begun considering the final self-descriptions of Christ.  Yesterday, we thought upon, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.’  Today, we move three verses onward to our text.  Here, Christ identifies Himself with His Name.  If we return to the Gospel of Matthew, we find the significance of this Name, ‘And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’  The name Jesus means, ‘Jehovah saves.’  The angel who announced the birth of Christ to Joseph attached the meaning of Christ’s Name to the work He came to accomplish, ‘for He shall save His people from their sins.’  Therefore, when we come to our text, which holds the last of Christ’s Self-descriptions in the canon, He says, ‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel…’  Christ’s very use of His Own personal name points to His saving work.  Above all else, Christ would have us remember that He came to seek and to save that which was lost.  The testimony of the angels to the shepherds was, ‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’  It is of the utmost importance that we remember this Person and His saving purpose.  Christ did not come to merely improve our lives or simply make us better people.  He came ‘to save His people from their sins.’  Therefore, He bears the Name, Jesus. 

Our Gracious Master and our God,
we rejoice at who You are.
We praise You that You have come to seek and to save
those of us who would be lost for all eternity
apart from You.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.

Revelation 22:12-13

How does Christ describe Himself?  As God closes the canon of Scripture, He gives John a powerful sight of Christ.  There is no better description of Christ than that which He gives of Himself.  He describes Himself in two verses in this chapter.  The first is before us.  He says, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.’  This is not arrogance, but accuracy.  Alpha and Omega are the beginning and ending letters of the Greek alphabet.  We find Christ saying the same thing in three different ways to emphasize the point He is making.  John declared in the first verse of his gospel.  ‘In the beginning was the Word,’ and goes on to say later, ‘all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.’  In this regard, and in every other, Christ is the Beginning.  He is the Origin and He is also the Conclusion.  All that we know and understand about creation, humanity, salvation, damnation, time and eternity begins and ends with Christ.  It is for this reason and for other reasons that we must make much of Christ.  All of our theology, our thinking, our reasoning, our living, our dying, and our eternity rests upon the foundation that Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.  He Alone is worthy.

Our Glorious Living God,
we rejoice in You and in Christ, Your only begotten Son.
We praise You that You have sent Him
to accomplish all that is necessary for our good,
for time and for eternity.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning