Clear As Crystal

I went over to church this morning for Lectio Divina. The passage was Revelation 21:9-21, a fairly long passage describing the new Jerusalem that will come down from heaven. In Lectio we read the passage several times and listen for God to impress a word or phrase on our heart. Here's the passage:

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

What God impressed on me was the idea that in the new Jerusalem/Heaven, there will be clarity and transparency. In the beginning of the passage it says the city was clear as crystal. Later, the wall is described as pure like glass. Finally, the street of the city, which was pure gold was like transparent glass. It struck me that this is a place where there are no secrets, nothing can be hidden, where every thing and everyone has pure motives and will live transparent lives.

To live this way today would be scary but only because in this bodily form I'm a sinful creature. But then, I will know fully even as I am known and will not be ashamed of what others know about me. Also, I will not be embarrassed by anything I know about someone else.

It strikes me that this is a description of the perfect spiritual community where we all know and are all known fully.