(Rev 1:9-11a.12-13.17-19)

Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in tribulation, kingdom, and constancy in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony given to Jesus.

The writer is John. Just as many Old Testament prophetic writings begin with the account of the call of their authors, so too John places at the beginning of his book the task that has been entrusted to him and that empowers him to write. It is he who receives God's revelation, and he takes the floor directly in the first person.  John is "brother and companion in tribulation, kingdom and constancy in Jesus". He is "brother" because in Christ he is one with the other disciples. In Christ we are all children of the one God and therefore all brothers to one another. It is the body of Christ that makes us one in Him. This presents the context in which the message was born: Revelation is in essence a message about the tribulation, and it is a message of hope addressed to a persecuted community.

John is a "companion", i.e. he is in fellowship with them, "in the tribulation", because he too is persecuted like them, together with them. He does not write from outside the persecution, as a free man, he writes from inside the persecution. According to one tradition, John emerged safe and sound from a barrel full of boiling oil without the slightest burn, and so was banished into exile by the Emperor Domitian, Titus's successor and his germane brother.

He is a companion 'in the kingdom', the 'basileia', kingship. There is a pride, a dignity, a kingship that is structural in the Christian life. John too, like them, belongs to that kingdom of priests constituted by God. Tribulation and kingship seem to contradict each other. We are not triumphant and yet we recognise ourselves in being dignified, proud, free even in the most dramatic events. John points to the kingship of the Christian life as a way of standing in all the most desperate situations with kingship of life.

He is a companion 'in constancy in Jesus', because he wants to persevere to the end like Jesus. He is Jesus' beloved disciple. He accompanied Jesus to the cross. Now John is loving Jesus in persecution, in pain and suffering. He is loving him in constancy, that is, in perseverance to the end. Constancy is the ability to hold on, to bear the burdens, the ability to persevere even where the load becomes heavy. Awaiting the glorious event of the manifestation of the kingdom, patient endurance is the specific virtue of the persecuted. Incorporated into Christ through baptism, Christians become sharers in his passion while waiting to participate in his own glory.

John is in exile. The place of his exile is the island called Patmos. It is a rocky island of about 26 square kilometres, about 100 km south of Ephesus, part of the Sporades. On the island there is still a cave where the apostle is said to have received these revelations. Eusebius, the church historian, writes that after the death of Domitian, the Roman senate recalled all those who had been exiled, and John from Patmos went to Ephesus. He also says that John survived until the reign of Trajan. In fact, the use of the past tense, 'I was on the island' suggests that he was no longer on Patmos when he wrote down his visions. The island is a beautiful figure of the Church of Christ. Just as an island is continually buffeted by the waves of the sea, so the Church is plagued by persecution. The apostle is exiled to this place of punishment 'because of the word of God and the testimony given to Jesus'. John presents himself as a witness to Jesus. He is the witness of Jesus who imparts courage to all the other witnesses of Jesus, so that they may persevere in their testimony to the end.

The word 'witness' evokes the atmosphere of a trial or a public debate: one bears witness to something that has happened and something that one has personally experienced. Testimony by hearsay is not valid. Christian witnessing is also linked to suffering, to paying in person: witnessing means martyrdom. By deciding to take Christ's side, the witness must know that he will be involved in his rejection by the unbelieving world. This is the aspect that Revelation emphasises most. John knows that only those who have had the strength to go all the way, like Jesus Christ, will enter his kingdom. That is why he does not shy away from helping his brothers. The disciple of Jesus can only be persecuted for one reason: "because of the word of God and the testimony given to Jesus", that is, he can only be persecuted because he is a true, authentic, faithful disciple of Jesus. Whoever makes this choice will always be opposed by the world. This, however, is the choice of eternal life.

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Revelation - exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers - Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ true God and true Man in the Trinitarian mystery

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

 Catholics and Protestants compared - In defence of the faith

 The Church and Israel according to St Paul - Romans 9-11

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