In the worlds of advertising, Hollywood and media. it is not uncommon to hear something or someone touted as “the one and only” something-or-other. In today’s reading from the first chapter of Revelation, John of Patmos introduces — or announces, as it were — the truly greatest One and Only of all time — Jesus Christ.
Bruce Buffer, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in May of 1957, probably cannot remember a time when he wasn’t interested in the martial arts, even though he didn’t really get involved in the sport later popularized by Robbie Benson in The Karate Kid until he was 13 and living in Philadelphia. He holds a second-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and a green belt in Judo. He’s also a world class poker player on the professional circuit, appearing on ESPN’s World Series of Poker Main Event show and making the Final Table of the World Poker Tour in the Season 3 Invitational.
But Buffer is not just known for his skill as a martial arts master or poker-faced card player in Vegas. His notoriety derives from his role as the Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) ring announcer who introduces the fighters to the crowd by describing the fighter as “the one and only” so-and-so.
Imagine the scene: The arena is packed with a crowd that has blood-lust in their throats. Buffer is in the ring, and the mic is lowered. He grabs it, welcomes the crowd and then introduces the fighters, saying something like, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are liiiiiiivvvveeee! This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Iiiiiiiit’s TIME! Introducing out of New York City, he is the reigning, defending, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the one, the only infamous Andrew Schulz!!!” The crowd goes crazy.1
Granted, it might be a stretch to link Buffer’s role as a ring announcer in a kickboxing event to the text that is before us today from the book of Revelation. But if you reread this text, thinking of Buffer as the writer/announcer of the text, it rings true: “Ladies and Gentlemen, kings and lords, nations of the world, we are liiiiiivvvveeeee! This is the moment you have all been waiting for. It’s time! Introducing out of Bethlehem of Judea and Nazareth of Galilee, the reigning, defending, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the ruler of the kings of the earth, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, the one who is, who was and who is coming, the one and the only JEEEEEEsus CHRIIIIIIIIIIst!”
This text is all about Jesus Christ, as is fitting on this day we call “Reign of Christ” (or Christ the Lord) Sunday. It is the last Sunday of the current liturgical year, and next Sunday we start a new year with the First Sunday of Advent. This is when we will once again inaugurate a new journey through the life of Christ, beginning with his birth. But today, we are at the end of that annual review, and Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the One and Only, is seated on his throne as King of kings and Lord of lords.
So, let’s take a closer look at what John of Patmos, our sacred ring announcer, says about the power and glory of the one and only Son of God now seated on the throne at the right hand of God. Who is this contender?
Jesus the martus
The first thing we notice is that Jesus is identified as a martus. The word is translated “witness,” but not in the sense we use “witness” today. The word doesn’t mean that Jesus was an eyewitness, but that he “loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood” (emphasis added). Jesus was a martyr. John perhaps remembers Jesus being called the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”2
There is no escaping the truth that this “faithful witness, or — literally — martyr of the faith of Revelation 1:5 is the same Jesus “who loves us” and died to save us “from our sins by his blood.” Like the lambs of the temple sacrificial system, he was born to die. The angel of the Lord said as much to Joseph before he had even taken Mary as his wife: “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”3 Born to die. Sounds brutal. But there it is. Born to die ... for you ... for me.
This makes Jesus “the One and the Only.” Saint Paul reminds us that “Christ died for the ungodly.”4 Then he goes on to note that “rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.”5 We do occasionally hear stories of some courageous soul who in a moment of crisis risked his or her life to save someone else — often a child — from certain death. This is rare. It is even rarer for someone to deliberate for a day or two and make a conscious choice, absent of any crisis, to give up his life so that someone else may live.
Jesus makes this point clear. He voluntarily laid down his life for us. No one took his life from him.6 He gave it up because, as verse 5 puts it, he loved us and he desired to save us from our sins by his blood.
Here is the amazing part: It isn’t just good people that Jesus died for; it was — according to Saint Paul — “sinners” like you and me! Imagine! Someone voluntarily giving up his life for a known rascal, criminal, bad person ... sinner!? Paul writes, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (emphasis added).7
Jesus Christ: the One, the Only ... martyr of the faith.
Death-defying conqueror
The apostle John’s description also notes that Jesus not only was death defying — he conquered death completely!
When we die, we remain dead. Jesus didn’t. John says that Jesus is “the firstborn of the dead.” As the firstborn from the dead, Jesus triumphs over the grave, demonstrating his power over death and offering the promise of resurrection and eternal life to all who believe in him. His victory over death assures us on this Reign of Christ Sunday that Jesus is indeed the sovereign ruler over all creation. This is why the resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate expression of hope. It transforms our understanding of death, turning it from an end into a beginning. In Christ, the conqueror of death, we know that death has been defeated and that eternal life awaits those who place their trust in him.
Jesus Christ: the One, the Only ... death defying conqueror!
The coming king
Verse 7 declares, “Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, including those who pierced him ...” This proclamation points to the future return of Jesus Christ, when he will come again in power and glory to establish his kingdom on earth. The early church was very interested in his return. Perhaps we are, too. Although, when we hear someone say that they wish Jesus would return today, we’re probably listening to someone in great distress and difficulty. It’s a sad reality that those who are living prosperous, comfortable lives, perhaps would not be disappointed if Jesus delayed his return for another generation or two.
But the apostolic church thought more about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ than they thought about death or heaven. Indeed, as one 19th-century Scottish divine put it, the early Christians of the apostolic church “were looking, not for a cleft in the ground called a grave but for a cleavage in the sky called Glory.”
The promise of Christ’s return fills us with anticipation and expectation. It is a reminder that our present struggles and sufferings are temporary, and that a day is coming when all things will be made new. As we await his coming, let’s live with hope and faithfulness, knowing that he who promised is faithful.
Jesus Christ: the One, the Only ... coming King!
The Alpha and the Omega
In the final verse of our reading, we’re hit with the final booming announcement concerning the one and only contender: he is “the Alpha and the Omega,” ... “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” This declaration encapsulates the timeless nature and absolute sovereignty of Jesus Christ. He is the beginning and the end, the eternal and unchanging foundation upon which all of creation rests.
In a world marked by uncertainty and transience, the truth of Christ’s eternal nature provides a firm anchor for our faith. He is the unchanging constant in a world of flux, the source of hope amidst the ebb and flow of human history.
Jesus Christ: the One, the Only ... The Alpha and Omega!
We can imagine that even ring announcer Bruce Buffer could appreciate what John has done in just these brief verses that form a prologue to the larger work of Revelation itself. In just a few well-chosen words, the Holy Spirit-inspired writer of the last book of the New Testament has given us a stirring introduction to the One and Only Jesus Christ.
As we reflect on the revelations of hope found in Revelation 1 may we be strengthened in our faith and encouraged in our journey. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Martyr of the Faith, the Death-defying Conqueror, the Coming King and the Alpha and Omega. In him, we find the source of our hope, the anchor of our souls and the assurance of our salvation.
1 See the series of “shorts” on the YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/shorts/uFEDTfHA_oQ.
2 John 1:29.
3 Matthew 1:21.
4 Romans 5:6.
5 Romans 5:7.
6 John 10:18: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
7 Romans 5:8.
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