Worthy is The Lamb: The Faithful and Their New Song
November 25, 2024 - Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Revelation 14:1-3, 4b-5
Today's excerpt from the Book of Revelation takes place on Mount Zion and before the throne of the Almighty in heaven (See Rev. 14:1, 3). Once again, we are dealing with the symbolic language of the early Christians, who often gave important places in the Bible a deeper meaning. Thus, in the vocabulary of our ancestors in faith, Mount Zion does not refer to the earthly Jerusalem but to the heavenly one. The author of the letter to the Hebrews writes to all of us who put our faith in Christ: "you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb. 12:22).
Those who follow the Lamb and stand before the throne, singing a new song, have the name of Jesus and His heavenly Father written on their foreheads (Rev. 14:1). This detail is extremely important because John previously mentioned those marked with the name or number of the "beast" either "on the right hand or the forehead" (Rev. 13:16-17). John divides the world of his time between those who are faithful to Jesus Christ and Abba, Father—even at the cost of their lives—and those who, for convenience's sake, accept the prevailing political and religious structure of Roman society.
The symbolic number 144,000 is often related to the list of those sealed "with the seal of the living God" (see Rev. 7:1-8). The list includes all the tribes of Israel, with a few irregularities. Judah is mentioned first, instead of Reuben, who holds the second position. This is easy to understand since, from David's time, the tribe of Judah was elevated to a position of authority, and Jesus was also descended from that tribe. The other irregularity is harder to explain: instead of the tribes of Ephraim and Dan, which are missing from the list, we have the tribes of Manasseh and Joseph. The issue is that Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph's children and usually represented the descendants of Joseph (see Num. 1:10). The tribe of Levi was typically left out and treated separately (see Num. 26:1-51, 57-62). Some scholars suggest that Ephraim and Dan were omitted due to their association with idolatry (see Judges 18; 1 Kings 12:28–30).
The symbolism of 12 multiplied by 12 is typically explained as embracing both the people of Israel and the Church under the New Covenant, sealed by the Blood of Jesus. In ancient Israel, the largest number of people under one commander was 1,000 (see Num. 31:14), but it can also represent a large number. Some scholars see in the 144,000 a symbol of all Christians engaged in spiritual warfare, keeping themselves pure like the ancient Israelites when they embarked on a military campaign (see 1 Samuel 21:1-5).
They sing a new song. The song likely refers to the one we heard in chapter 5, in which the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders worshiped the Lamb for offering His life for the salvation of the world (see Rev. 5:9-10). In that song, we hear that the Lamb "ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). Now, those ransomed by the Lamb themselves participate in singing that song. Among all those redeemed by the Lamb, these are the first fruits. This phrase indicates that more will experience freedom from slavery to sin and death and will join in singing the song of thanksgiving: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" (Rev. 5:12).