All things under his feet
The easy interpretation of this is that Jesus is, right now, over all things. He is in charge. But is Paul right on this one? After all, if everything is under the management of Christ how can so much evil still be around? Is it rational to just accept the statement of Paul? As a Christian must we bury our heads in the sand, declare Christ as king, and turn a blind eye to the badness of our world?
The nonbeliever will say we are fools. The nonbeliever who does not merely wish to cast aspersion, but to erect arguments against the rule of Christ gives one or more of the following four general answers: God does not exist, God does not see, God is not strong enough, or God does not care. Those are stiff accusations, but not exactly unfounded when the Bible says Jesus has all things under his feet and yet evil persists.
Hebrews 2:8 is useful in some manner:
8b…Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. (Hebrews 2:8b–ESV)
The author does not take it upon himself to expound. He merely states the obvious and moves on to his other points. Articles as numerable as believers and nonbelievers have swirled out from this conundrum. The vantage point I will take on it is to recall the different, immeasurable approach of God. He invites people into communion with him and blesses those with strength, hidden down on the inside maybe, but present nonetheless to face the injustices common to humanity. He does not lift us up and out of the problems, but having walked this way himself cheers and strengthens us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
We reviewed the beatitudes in the last lesson. Think on the second half of these for that is where the blessings are. Those include comfort, an allotment among the saints, satisfaction, mercy, seeing God, and an eternal family in the Kingdom of Heaven. Some come now and some come later, but they come. This is how God put the world together.
That last lesson was about the immeasurable power of God. The power is immeasurable because it is hidden. It is immeasurable because it is different. God uses martial strength as a last resort and love as the first. He offers satisfaction, but it comes on his terms and in his timing. The Romans and most people prefer to control things with the strength of their own might, their minds, the money, preparation or any number of other things. Jesus waited on God the Father’s timing. We now get to wait on Jesus’ timing. He is sitting at the right hand of God. He acts as God did.
God lets Jesus be in charge. Will we?
Think back to the last lesson and the tiny spider that skittered across my papers. It ran by reflex and stopped the same way. It could not think or prepare it just ran. God gave us a brain, he sent Jesus and told us of his plan. We may have to run like the spider, but we can have faith like Jesus. God is strong. Even the author of Hebrews acknowledged that we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. We will.
God gave us a brain and insight into how he works, what he expects. We can help what we do by God’s strength. If we have to run or we have to stay we can because of the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.
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