What Jesus Sitting Says

The LORD is faithful to bless those who read His Word.  Because the wisdom of God is infinite and His ways unsearchable, there will always be revelation for us in the scripture.  Today one minute I was reflected with amazement how I didn't comprehend basic biblical truth in my youth yet moments later noticed something new to me, a fresh connection which confirms the truth I am still learning.  Jesus says not one "jot or tittle" would pass from the Law until all was fulfilled, saying that the smallest of markings remained of great significance.  We know tone, timing, and emphasis can tweak the meaning of a simple sentence, and the writer of Hebrews keyed in on the posture of Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father to confirm the effectiveness of His sacrifice and much more.

A little historical background:  it was customary morning and evening to offer sacrifices at the tabernacle and later the temple in obedience to the Law of Moses.  After Jesus died on the cross, the veil which surrounded the Holy of Holies was torn top to bottom.  The writer of Hebrews alluded to that resembling the torn body of Jesus on Calvary, that through His shed blood that provided atonement those who trust in Jesus now have access to God by the Holy Spirit.  Paul affirmed what spiritually occurred during the crucifixion, how the Old Covenant of the Law was nailed to the cross with Christ in Colossians 2:13-15 and how the New Covenant in Christ's blood made the old obsolete.  When Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, Paul exhorted believers in Colossians 3:1:  "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God."

Jesus seated at the right hand of God is an important observation seeing He is our Great High Priest.  When the high priest offered the morning and evening sacrifices they stood--they did not sit.  When the annual sacrifice was offered to atone for the priest and the nation the blood of sacrifice covered sin but could not eliminate the need for future sacrifice.  The writer of Hebrews showed how the sitting posture of Jesus proves there is no additional sacrifice possible for sin:  Jesus sat down because the purification for sin is complete.  Hebrews 10:11-14 states, "And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."  Isn't this amazing?  Jesus is the LORD who has fulfilled Psalm 110:1, sitting down at the right hand of God.  We are enabled to stand in righteousness because Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, having "perfected forever those who are being sanctified."  Having been purified from our sins, we ought to present ourselves as living sacrifices to the One who laid down His life for our redemption.

Jesus sits as the Great High Priest who has forever finished the work of atonement, but on a couple of occasions He is mentioned standing.  Jesus said He stood at the door of the church of the lukewarm Laodiceans in Revelation 3, and before his martyrdom Stephen cried out before the council Acts 7:55-56 says, "But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"  This shows me though Jesus sits He is not inactive or unmoved by things which concern His people on earth.  He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks; He rises to be our advocate and will someday rise in judgment upon an unbelieving world, delivering all who trust in Him.  He sits at the Father's right hand yet is not sedentary.  He sits to show He is on the throne and rules over all, has once for all offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin, the shadow of Law has been made obsolete by the New Covenant, by grace through faith we are perfected forever, and we are being sanctified by Jesus.  Who could have thought Jesus sitting could mean so much?

Light, Gladness, Joy and Honour

The book of Esther provides a great example of God's deliverance and the marvelous reversals only He is capable of.  The wicked Haman had signed into law of the Medes and Persians (which could not be changed) the Jews were to be slaughtered and plundered.  At the persistent urging of her cousin Mordecai, queen Esther brought the evil plot of Haman against the Jews to light before her husband and king.  Furious at this great betrayal, King Ahasuerus executed Haman, promoted Mordecai to a position of honour and power who drafted a new law which allowed the Jews to protect themselves from all adversaries.  Filled with ironic turns and unbelievable plot twists, the book of Esther puts the best Hollywood attempts to shame.

Mordecai and the people went from fasting, mourning, and wearing sackcloth because of their eminent doom to celebrating together.  Esther 8:15-17 says, "So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. ¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honour. ¹⁷ And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them."  Mordecai who once sat in the dust left the presence of the king clothed in royal apparel wearing a crown of gold; people who were in the shadow of death had "light and gladness, joy and honour."  Jews who looked to the 13th day of the 12th month with fear and dread suddenly instead had a holiday with feasting and gifts.  Inhabitants of the land who were very relieved not to be Jews (seeing they were condemned to death) converted to being Jews!

I cannot read this historical account without considering how followers of Jesus Christ share a similar experience with the Jews in Esther's day.  We were condemned by our sin according to God's righteous Law, but Jesus has provided forgiveness and atonement by shedding His blood on Calvary.  All men are heading to certain death and destruction in hell forever yet through faith in Jesus have the hope of eternal life, having been adopted by God and clothed in His righteousness.  Through Jesus we too have "light and gladness, joy and honour" we do not deserve.  Because Jesus is the Bread of Life we have an everlasting feast by faith in Him and victory over our foes--even Death.  Every year the Jews celebrated Purim as a reminder of the great deliverance God had wrought for them, and the book of Esther is an awesome reminder of God's love and faithfulness to His people under the Old and now the New Covenant in Christ's blood.

Jesus is the Light of the world, and may we walk in His light with gladness.  He grants us fullness of joy and peace that passes understanding.  Though Jesus and His followers are hated by some, we have been granted unspeakable honour by His grace to be called by His name.  The Jews of Shushan rejoiced to have a man of their own Mordecai ruling rather than Haman the Agagite, and how blessed we are to be ruled by Jesus Christ rather than Satan whose skull has been crushed underfoot by the Son of God.  Isaiah 25:8-9 says what the God of Israel has done in Jesus Christ:  "He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. ⁹ And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

When Life is Stale

"When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. ⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah"

Psalm 32:3-4

Reading through this Psalm this week I was prompted to see this in fresh light.  David penned this psalm considering the oppressive nature of sin:  when he refused to confess and repent of sin it gnawed at him day and night.  The picture he paints is one wasting away in pain, a dry soul groaning in distress.  A tree lacking moisture withers and dies, and the drought of summer sapped him of spiritual vitality.

There are certain foods which are delicious when moist, but when the moisture dries up they become stale and unpalatable.  Because of sin David's life became dry and stale.  It is a strange thing how the composition of baked goods changes dramatically for the worse when exposed to air for extended periods of time.  We do not need to interview David to learn more because we also have experienced besetting sins which made our lives stale:  tasteless, worn out, without novelty or power to please.  The things we used to enjoy or live for just aren't as great as they used to be.

In Psalm 1, David compared the child of God to a tree planted by rivers of water that is fruitful in season, its leaves do not wither and it prospers--quite the contrast to the dryness of summer drought.  In verse 4 David ended the line with "Selah" which means to pause and consider.  It is good for us to stop in our tracks and take personally what has been written, examining our own lives to see if we too are dry like a dessert, if ministry has become stale, if relationships are drying up.  The way we feel can be a telling indicator of our need to make personal changes to seek and honour God.

David followed up action with Psalm 32:5:  "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah."  Healthy introspection led to confession of sin and forgiveness by our gracious God.  David acknowledged his sinful deeds and also his crooked heart.  He didn't just "Selah" concerning his sin or how twisted and corrupt he was but also revelled in the forgiveness and restoration of his relationship with God.  We can spend a great deal of time wallowing in our failures rather than rejoicing in the forgiveness God delights to give.

Has life become a bit stale?  Pour out your heart to God in confession and know He hears and will answer.  In an instant God can transform a soul that resembles a barren desert into a fruitful oasis by His grace, mercy, and unfailing love.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus can bring radical transformation and renewal to your life today.

The Lovable One

What pictures does "lovable" bring to mind?  Personally I think of a cute and fuzzy plush toy, a smiling face with outstretched arms just begging to be held close.  Synonyms for "lovable" include:  endearing, engaging, attractive, adorable, lovely, sweet, cuddly, charming and pleasing.  One thing these synonyms have in common is being lovable is largely based on appearances and subjective personal opinion--not by demonstrated quality of character.  We can put a great deal of emphasis on looking lovely, but that does not mean we are lovable.

I was struck by David's exhortation in Psalm 31:23-24:  "Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person. ²⁴ Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD."  Forget the fluffy teddy bear with the embroidered smile:  God is the most lovable being of all!  God is worthy of all love as He is absolutely loving, though He is not in the least bit "cute" or "cuddly."  He has demonstrated His love for us sinners, not with chocolate or fluffy keepsakes, but by dying on the cross for our redemption and salvation.  He preserves the faithful, provides courage, and strengthens our hearts as we hope in Him.

The lovable plush toy or pet that loves attention cannot meet the needs of our souls.  1 John 4:19 says of God, "We love Him because He first loved us."  When a person goes to the pet shop or breeder to purchase a cute, lovable puppy or kitten, that animal was loved and chosen before it could respond to love and attention.  To a domesticated animal the buyer was just one of many people who stopped by and watched it play, but after becoming an owner and caretaker a relationship began.  God has done a similar thing for people, having loved each human being before we were conceived and individually fashioned by Him in the womb of our mothers.  Isn't God lovable for His goodness towards us, to create us by grace and pursue a relationship with us?

Jesus Christ said to His disciples in John 15:12-17:  "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, that you love one another."  We did not choose God, but He chose us; we love Him because He first loved us.  Because He loves us we ought to love Him and one another, and consequently He makes us more lovable ourselves.