The Tetramorph Gospel - The King Has Arrived

2.1.15
The Tetramorph Gospel: Matthew (The Lion)
Scripture Focus: Revelation 4; Matthew 1, 16, & 21

We read in Revelation 4 where John uses images of color, sounds of thunder, and brilliance of light all working together in an attempt to depict the greatness and awesomeness of God and his throne. Today, February 1st, there will be a football game played. There are hundreds of games played every year. From the simple few bleachers of a small town corn field in the Midwest, to the gargantuan man made wonder of AT&T Stadium in Texas, boys and men play the game every Fall and Winter. But today, there is a game that surpasses them all: the Super Bowl. Try to imagine yourself on the 50 yard line of the field and then describe everything, and I mean everything that is going on at that moment. Hard to imagine, right? Now imagine being John trying to take it all in: the majesty and wonderfulness of the presence of the living God.

Just when John is comprehending the sight of God on his throne, he sees something that is beyond belief: four creatures which have unique faces and characteristics. One is a Lion, another an Ox, a Man, and finally an Eagle. But what do these creatures represent? What part of the glory of God do they show us? It is believed to be a representation of the four faces or purposes of Christ. There is the Lion, symbol of Kingship of Jesus; Ox, symbol of his service; Man, symbol of the humanness of Jesus; and Eagle, symbol of his Spirit. These four image form what is historically called the Tetramorph. Tetra, meaning four and morph, meaning to shape together.

Image One: The Lion

The Gospel of Matthew provides the following insight in Jesus as King.

Matthew 1 - His heritage is established; both founder of faith through Abraham and as the promised eternal king through David.

Matthew 16 - His identity is confirmed by Peter in the declaration that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One (King). This insight did not come from Peter's earthly desire to be on the winning team, but from the Holy Spirit revealed by God the Father.

Matthew 21 - Jesus declares his authority as King with his entry into Jerusalem; exercises his authority in the Temple; offers to share that authority to his disciples, and finally silences those who would try and question his authority.

Genesis 49:9-10 foreshadows the tribe of Judah being identified as a lion. And in Revelation 5:5 we read that Jesus is the Lion of Judah. One way to read this statement is that among kings, he is THE KING. among leaders, he is THE LEADER. C.S. Lewis used this image of a lion for his Narnia Chronicle's savior: Aslan. In the Narnia books, Aslan represents Christ. He is a lion who is majestic, powerful, and eventually sacrifices himself to save others.

Of all the things Lewis writes about Aslan, one of my favorite quotes is the warning given in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe concerning Aslan: "He is wild you know. Not like a tame lion." Remember that when you petition the King to do things in his authority as he sees to share it with us. Remember it as both a warning to us that we cannot place God in a box to be understood and used simply as a tool. And remember that Jesus is a wild lion in the respect that we are not to fear the things of this world - after all, we have a Kingly Lion by our side!