Rev.1:9, ”I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,”
Cultivating intimacy with Jesus postures us to live conscious of His presence, and presentness. This is our home; what we were created for. It is in this conscious place where identity, and destiny joyfully apprehend us as hope filled anchors to our souls, instead of just being Christian cultural catch phrases for sermon material, and bookstore paperbacks. The thing about Intimacy, and Presence is that there is so much more to it than the warm fascination of His Beauty (shared presence), there is also the furnace of His love found in those eyes of fire that burn you forever. At this stage of his life John was somewhere around 92-95 years old, and had lived now for over 60 years believing he was “the disciple whom Jesus was always loving.” This identity was forged as he lay his head on the breast of Jesus, gazing into those lovesick eyes of fire at the first Eucharist. He was a “burnt man” from that day. He alone, of all the disciple stood at the Cross with the women. Jesus was crucified as a Enemy of the State, and identifying with Him in such a tangible way was a great risk, but it was too late for John to do anything else. He was ruined for loves sake. Perfect love had cast out fear. Those eyes of fire had drawn him into the white-heat furnace of the love of God, and he was already a dead man. The Son of Thunder that he had been known as was “burnt up,” and only the ashes of a surrendered heart lay at loves feet. Even in his 90’s, once again looking into those eyes of fire, gazing again into loves Holy furnace, the All Consuming Fire consumed him again, and he fell again as a dead man at loves feet. This what intimacy brings. This is the consequence of Presence. This is the soil from which all resurrection life comes forth from. This is the continual “endings” that awakens all newness of life. Only in the burning does new life arise. Surely, it’s in His presence that we are called to know “The Christ of Burnt Men.” Its all about you Jesus.
