Verse for the week of November 1st:
Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.’. (Revelation 21:6)
What does it mean that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega?
On a strictly literal sense, Alpha (the first letter of the Greek alphabet) and Omega (the last letter of the Greek alphabet) seem to indicate that Jesus is the first and the last. However, I think that the intent behind this saying is not that Jesus is the first—after all the first chapter of the Gospel of John clearly implies that Jesus was already; even before the beginning. John 1 states ‘in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’ This verse seems to state that at the beginning, at the first—Jesus (the Word) was already. Thus it is before the first—if that makes sense.
Rather what this verse is saying is that Jesus is not limited to the concept of time—he transcends time and is not subject to it. So, the concept of first and last are telling us that Jesus as the first is the source and origin of all things. Jesus as the last is that he is the end in the sense that he constitutes the goal or aim or completion of everything. (from a commentary by Robert Mounce on the Book of Revelation).
The notion of Jesus as Alpha and Omega also remind us that we are not God. Sometimes we can get caught up in ourselves and think that we can solve all our problems or figure out what our decisions should be. In some ways, we want to be more like God. The concept of Alpha and Omega call us to the fact that we are not God and that God transcends time, us and all of creation. As part of the creation, we need to lean upon Jesus throughout our lives and make sure that we trust in him and not ourselves.
This is echoed in the last part of this verse. Jesus goes on to announce that to the thirsty he gives the gift of water from the spring of life. Because of Jesus being the First and the Last, he is also the one who can give salvation—the image of water from the spring of life is a way of talking about the hope of the resurrection and the gift of eternal life. Part of what it means to have the gift of the water of life is to realize that we can not get this water or quench our thirst on our own, but we need to trust in Jesus that he is the only one who can give us this water and quench the thirst of our souls. We can not by our own merit or work get this water other than from the Alpha and Omega.
How do you understand this verse in that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega in your life and in our world?
I’ve been reading Mitch Albom’s book Have a Little Faith, and there’s a line I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Mitch’s rabbi Albert Lewis says, “When you come to the end, that’s where God begins.” While the context is about death and not about Jesus, I find similar meanings between this week’s verse and Lewis’ quote when I apply them to my life. I think about the concept of the Alpha and Omega as a continuum; that our life is a progression of events by which we grow. When things in our life come to an end, such as a relationship, a job, or the life of a loved one, we begin a new journey stronger, wiser, and more spiritually connected to God. With Jesus as the Alpha and the Omega, I’m comforted knowing He was with me before my journey began, and He’ll be with me through all the stages of my life.
In trying times in my personal life, and times of uncertainty in our world, it is comforting to me to know that NOTHING can separate me from the love and protection of God. To know that God has been and always will be with me and those I care about, regardless of what we may do to please or disappoint him, departs a peace within me which allows me to remain positive during trying and uncertain circumstances.
Let go and let God…. How difficult it is for us to let Jesus lead us on the path. He will be there to support us in all the ups and downs of our lives