Immeasurable?
When I think of power, it seems to conglomerate so much in the strength of arms or military might. Was the resurrection that way though? Sure it required power beyond anything known, but military? Overt? In most of the visible ways at least it was almost behind the scenes. God’s power was something different entirely. It was not human power maximized, but a kind or type of power revealed. It was far beyond anything we can imagine because it was beyond anything we could imagine. It was real, and God’s intentions were bourne out.
Extrapolation of this back to the Christian is essential and not immediately apparent. What God is doing in and through us is different entirely than what we might expect. It is all too real and perfectly powerful toward that at which God is aiming. That is an interesting vantage point and one I did not even think of before I taught the class. I ended up adding these paragraphs just before posting this lesson.
It is immeasurable because it is different. It is immeasurable because it works behind the scenes.
Seating at the right hand
Where is Jesus right now? In heaven is the quick answer, but we can be more specific. He is at the right hand of God the Father. We see this from verses like Ephesians 1:20. One can see a similar thing in the other writings of Paul, of Luke, of the author to the Hebrews and probably others.
What’s up with the right-hand business? It has long been the traditional place held by the second in rank or authority. The military has used the right hand for one who is protecting, helping, a second in rank. In White House cabinet meetings the analogy breaks down a little bit as the vice president, second in rank, sits across from the President, but the subsequent arrangement of the cabinet heads goes by order of importance with the Secretary of State being on the President’s right side. If you have watched a State of the Union Address, you may recall two people immediately behind the President. On the right is the Vice President and on the left is the Speaker of the House who is third in the line of succession to the Presidency. Moving back toward the Greco-Roman era in which Paul penned his letter there was a strong religious connotation to being on the right side of a higher ranked person.
We could consider many other examples; the point, though, is the placement of Jesus. He was resurrected from the dead to the earth, from the Earth to Heaven, and all the way to that highest rank of being next to God the Father. Paul goes on pointing out that Jesus is not only above but far above all others. “Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion” is how the translators of the ESV put his words. Think of what John the Apostle saw and recorded in the book of Revelation. The throne of God was the focal point and far above all others aligned around about and focused upon him. Jesus, as the Lamb of God, was able to approach the throne and take from the hand of God a book.
Seated at the highest rank below God the Father
So Jesus is of the highest level placed to the immediate right of God the Father. Note, next how Jesus got there. He was obedient unto death, even death on a cross (that is from Philippians) and so God exalted him to the highest place. God the Father placed Jesus there. It was not about earning, but about obedience. It was not about climbing but submitting. The final arrangement was the doing of God the Father. Remember how we have noted that the hope to which the Christian is called is a God-assigned hope not a thing of ours but his. It is not different with Jesus. God wanted him there, and God placed him there.
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