2021/11/22

14. The Four Riders (2)

The description when the third seal was opened: "And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!'" (Revelation 6:5-6) corresponds to the last words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke: "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:46-49). God delivered up his only begotten Son to suffering and death on the cross so that the atonement for sin might be made public and that "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem." This sacrifice is like buying a quart of wheat for a day's wages, which is hardly balanced. As a symbol of this, the rider on the black horse has a balance in his hand. And Jesus said, "Stay in the city," so that anyone might "do not harm" his disciples who were "witnesses of these things." In the description when the fourth seal was opened: "And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth" (Revelation 6:8), "Death" that Hades followed was the "death" linked to the Resurrection through Jesus’ Passion and death on the cross. "Death" was given the authority over a fourth of the earth to kill people so that the number of those who shared in this "death" might be complete.¹ This description corresponds to Jesus’ last command in the Gospel of John. That is his answer to Peter, who, seeing the disciple whom Jesus loved, asked him, "Lord, what about this man?" after Jesus had shown him by what death he was to glorify God² and had commanded him to follow his "death." The evangelist repeated Jesus’ answer twice: "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me" (John 21:22), with a comment between them: "yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die." For "he" signifies the faith of the disciple whom Jesus loved, the faith which Jesus hoped to find on earth at the Second Coming.³ God gave the Book of Revelation to the disciples as a training book as it reads at the beginning: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John."⁴

Reference 1. Revelation 6:11, 2. John 21:19, 3. Luke 18:8, 4. Revelation 1:1.

Maria K. M.