Revelation 18:21-24 – A Mirror for Medusa

Medusa was one of the more terrifying monsters of Greek mythology. She had snakes on her head instead of hair, which was bad enough. But what made her truly terrifying was that if anyone looked at her, they would turn into stone. So, how can you fight an enemy that you can’t look at? According to the ancient legends, a hero named Perseus killed Medusa by looking at her reflection on his mirror-like shield. Then, like the enterprising warrior that he was, he used Medusa’s head as a weapon for himself. He’d show up for battle and hold her head up high (while being careful to look the other way). It wasn’t long until the other soldiers would look at the head. Then, instead of facing an army, Perseus was standing in the middle of a statuary.

I’m going to take this mythological tale, and give it a slight twist in order to help us understand this passage. Imagine that Perseus used his mirror to defeat Medusa, but instead of using it to look at her reflection, he held it up to her so that she had to look at her own reflection. In the way that I want to re-write this ancient tale (as disrespectful as that may be), Medusa sees herself, and by looking at herself, turns to stone. Perseus is smart enough to turn Medusa’s own weapon against herself. (Again, I apologize for messing with classic mythology. And there may even be a different myth that makes the point I’m creating here. If so, I apologize).

My tale of Medusa is a fanciful way to describe the downfall of Babylon, the embodiment of evil and oppression in the world. The point isn’t very obvious from this passage all by itself. But as I’ve said before, Revelation is in the back of the Bible for a reason. You need to know the rest of the story before you can make sense out of it. For people like John’s readers who knew Scripture inside and out, the words of this mighty angel who declares the doom of Babylon would sound awfully familiar. And its echo of familiar words would give them insight both into why Babylon fell, and hope for times when they are under Babylon’s heel.

The best way to understand this passage is to hold it beside Jeremiah 25. So let’s look a bit at what this great Old Testament prophet had to say. He brought God’s word during the final days of the kingdom of Judah. For many generations, the nation had slipped away from faithful obedience to God. There had been one or two promising bright points, but the downward slide was painfully evident. It had finally reached the point that God decided he had had enough. It was time for him to punish Judah. So he gave power to the empire of Babylon—yes, Babylon. This is the real Babylon that ends up becoming the symbol of powerful evil in Revelation. He gives the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar the permission and ability to destroy Judah. Under Nebuchadnezzar’s terrifying power, Judah is decimated and becomes a wasteland. Jeremiah describes how joy and productivity will disappear from Judah. No more music or joyful sounds. No more wedding celebrations. No more millstones grinding wheat into food. No more light, even. It’s a devastating and sobering prediction. Jeremiah declares that Babylon will turn happiness into sorrow and prosperity into poverty. But it only happens because God has given the Babylonians the ability to do it. Ultimately, it is God who destroys Judah.

That’s the message from Jeremiah. It’s a sobering one. Under God’s direction and authority, Babylon brings Jerusalem low. But the Revelation passage tells us that it’s only the first act of God’s incredible drama. Here we read how Babylon itself will be destroyed. The similarities between the descriptions of Jerusalem’s demise and Babylon’s destruction are uncanny. John, led by the Holy Spirit, certainly wanted us to read this description of his vision with an eye to Jeremiah. The same doom that Babylon brought to Judah now comes upon Babylon itself. What happened to Judah will happen to Babylon. Babylon had been like Medusa, turning all her neighbors to stone under her terrible gaze. Now, the mirror is turned on Medusa herself, and she suffers the same fate that she had visited upon others. There’s a sense of balance and justice here. The one who causes suffering succumbs to her own weapons.

I’m particularly struck by the angel’s comment at the very end of verse 23: “By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.” We’ve spoken before about the intoxicating, seductive nature of Babylon’s appeal to the world. Everyone (or practically everyone) was led astray from the universal circle of praise around God by Babylon’s allure. Luxury and power had a grip on people that they couldn’t escape. It truly was like a magic spell: something that blinds people to the truth and to what really matters, as they follow Babylon like rats following the Pied Piper. Or, to use the example I started with, everyone is destroyed by Babylon’s terrible, magical gaze that turns flesh into stone. But now, Babylon falls victim to her own magic. Like Medusa turned to stone by her own reflection, Babylon’s power works against itself. The empire that brought sorrow to Judah now faces the exact same sorrow herself. What goes around comes around.

We can pick up three points from this lesson that can help us understand our own lives more fully.
First, be careful not to fall for the spell: don’t look at Medusa. This is the same lesson we’ve learned before. We live in an enchanted forest. Don’t eat the mushrooms! Hold onto the truth of God’s love and faithfulness, which is the surest antidote we can find to Babylon’s evil charms.
Second, be sure you’re not Medusa, or you’ll have to taste your own medicine. What Babylon did to others is what happened to her. It’s a weird way to look at the Golden Rule. If people treated you the way that you treat them, would you be satisified? If not, it’s time to make a change.
And third, if Medusa is attacking you, there’s hope. The one causing your suffering is going to suffer herself. We gain freedom from our captors when they succumb to their own spells. God’s power brings hope in situations of hopelessness. Medusa can be turned to stone.