How Jesus Wants You to Think of Him

Most people hope that others think of them in a positive light. It’s easy to spout off that we could care less about what anyone thinks of us, but as Christians, we can’t really believe that. “We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), and so it matters that we present ourselves in such a manner that we faithfully represent our Savior. That doesn’t mean we’ll be liked by everyone, but it does mean that our behavior, speech, and demeanor are representative of what and who we believe. If people don’t think highly of us, let it not be because we aren’t living faithfully to Christ or each other.

But here is an odd little angle: What do Christians think about Jesus?

Do you think about titles when thinking of Him? King of kings? Lord of lords? Savior? Redeemer? Son of God? Son of Man? Wonderful Counselor? Creator? Master? Rabbi?

Spend a little time doing research, and you’ll find there are plenty more titles that apply to Him.

But what does He want you to think of when thinking of Him? Does He have a preference among all the things and powers that He represents to the faithful?

Absolutely.

It’s in the last book of the Bible.

The first verse of Revelation reads,

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John…

Many people make the mistake of referring to the Revelation as “the Revelation of John.” No, it’s not. The first verse of the book makes it explicitly clear whose revelation it is and how it was communicated to John. It is the revelation of Jesus. It was communicated to the Apostle John. It came to John via the angel of Jesus.

The point is: what follows is what Jesus wanted John to know and to share with His church. This isn’t what John wanted to reveal to the faithful. It’s what Jesus wants to reveal.

Now, let’s get back to the question, “What does Jesus want you to think of when thinking of Him?”

The first appearance of Jesus in the book is not later in chapter one (vv. 13-16). Remember, the first verse says Jesus sent the Revelation to John through His angel. Compare the attire of what John saw in 1:13 to the description of the seven angels in 15:6. Almost the same.

The first time we see Jesus in the Book of Revelation is in chapter 5.

No one was found worthy to take the book from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne (5:1). John wept but was admonished that the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book…(5:5). And then he saw Him. The way Jesus wanted him to see Him and therefore the way He wants us to see Him:

And I saw … a Lamb standing, as if slain…

Don’t move away from this too quickly. Not a man, but a lamb. Not a normal lamb. A slain lamb. How would John know it had been slain? There would have been blood. A lot of it. Sacrificial lambs had their throats cut. This is reiterated by the song immediately sung by the four living creatures and the elders when the Lamb “took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” (5:7):

Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

The Lamb was slain and bled. That’s how Jesus wants His followers to think of Him. In Revelation 13:8, it is revealed that there is “a book of life of the Lamb who has been slain". There it is again. Not just a Lamb but a slain Lamb. A bloodied Lamb. In Revelation 12:11, the faithful are seen as victorious over Satan.

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb…

The one time in the Book of Revelation when Jesus is seen as a Man is at the Second Coming as the Rider on the white horse. Notice the description:

He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood…(19:13).

This is seen prior to the battle of Armageddon. That’s not His enemies’ blood. It’s His.

Overwhelmingly, Jesus reveals Himself in the last book of the Bible as the “Lamb.” Twenty-seven times in Revelation, Jesus is seen as or called the Lamb. The church is called the wife of the Lamb (21:9). The apostles are referred to as the twelve apostles of the Lamb (21:14). There is a song of the Lamb (15:3), the marriage of the Lamb (19:7), and a marriage supper of the Lamb (19:9).

There is no doubt about it. When you think of Jesus, He prefers that you think of Him the way He was introduced to the world by His cousin, John the Baptist:

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).

Apparently, His instructions to His angel for the unveiling of the Book of Revelation included something like, “Keep reminding them how much I love them.”

The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. That’s the central message of the Book of Revelation. Not the Devil, the Antichrist, or the false prophet. Not the seals, trumpets, or bowls. Not God’s wrath or His vengeance. Oh, they’re all there in the apocalypse. But it’s the slain Lamb that takes center stage. And that’s the way Jesus wanted it.

What do you think of and see when you contemplate Jesus?

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