Seated on the Throne

Luke 22:69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God."


69 ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν δὲ ἔσται ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθήμενος ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ θεοῦ.

This was what Jesus said to the council who held His illegal trial. He had just explained that even if He confessed Himself as the Christ they would not believe it. After this verse He says the same thing about being the son of God. But this is sandwiched in the middle.

What does this mean? I take it to mean that after His life, death, burial, and resurrection He is now seated on the throne in heaven. This means that Christ is indeed the king as we speak. However, as He repeatedly told us throughout the gospels, His kingdom is not of this world yet. Rather, He reigns over a spiritual kingdom.

The good news is that He will come back one day and make all things new. We will get to live forever with Him in a restored earth. It will be recovered back to its pre-Fall glory. Having this hope makes life livable. And, as Jesus showed us here, it also makes death something we can approach with confidence.

It doesn't take much looking to find folks who are terrified of death. You have your Jack LaLanne folks who figure that they can live much longer if they avoid all sugars and exercise regularly. That is true, but death is still going to catch up. They can ride, but they can't hide. Anyone who knows me knows that I am all for fitness and healthy eating. However, we need to be realistic in that the death rate is still 100%.

I bring this up because I look at this passage and I see how Jesus faced death. In Gethsemane He agonized over what was coming. After accepting it He was pretty bold when mocked, beaten, and tried. He realized that He was going to suffer greatly, but He also had a clear vision of what awaited Him on the other side of death.

We have the hope of living forever with Him. How does that change the way you approach your life?

A Celebration

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
(13) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
(14) For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

I occasionally contemplate my own funeral. I've already told some of my relatives that I don't want a lot of crying at it if I should die before they do. I guess I'd like to be missed, but I would rather it be more of a celebration of who I was. I also would like for it to be a celebration of my going home to the Lord.

There are a couple of presuppositions in this idea though. First, I'm assuming that the Bible is true and trustworthy. If it is then I have a great hope for what happens after my body perishes. Second, I'm assuming that I've lived a life worthy of celebration. Sometimes I look around and see how I'm basically just living for myself in some way or another. Sure, I help out Amanda with the kids, but I wonder if it's more about me than her. Yes, I've ministered to others, but I knew that often in my heart it was more of a duty than a delight. Plus, I liked the approval and recognition that came from it.

This started out as a post just to fulfill my commitment to write something almost every day. However, it's turned into some good food for introspective thought. How are you living your life so that it will be looked upon fondly after your death? What legacy are you leaving? Where is your heart as you serve?