Worthy to open the scroll

“I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.” Revelation 5:4
In Revelation 4-5, we have a glimpse into the throne room of heaven. We see God, seated on the throne; we see the four living cretaures singing, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’; we see the twenty-four elders falling down in worship. Then we see God holding a scroll, and when John sees there is no one who is qualified to open it, he weeps uncontrollably. The question that naturally arises is, why? And what is written in the scroll anyway?
We are told that the scroll had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals (Rev. 5:1). It is a title deed: the writing on the inside is the deed, and the writing on the outside specifies who can open it and take possession of what is written inside. We see a similar description of a title deed that Jeremiah prepared when he bought a field, in Jer. 32:10-12.
Specifically, it is the title deed to the planet Earth. God initially gave guardianship to Adam, but when he sinned, he forfeited that guardianship to Satan. Most likely one of the requirements written on the scroll would have been that the person taking ownership must be a man without sin. Indeed, no one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth could meet this requirement. Angels are ineligible, because they are not men; and all mankind has sinned (Rom. 3:23). John was weeping because it looked as though the earth could not be redeemed, which would mean it would belong to Satan forever, by default.
But John was told, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Rev. 5:5). These terms refer to Jesus Christ. He became a man, and He was without sin. His death has paid for the redemption not only of us, but of the whole creation.