Jesus Is Our Righteous King
Open Your Bible
Acts 2:22-36, Colossians 1:9-23
BY Melanie Rainer
“Is He coming? Where is He?”
My daughter craned her neck, trying to see from our spot in the very last row of the very old church we sat in on Good Friday.
“What?” I whispered.
“Jesus! Is He here? Is that the cross? Are those His bloody clothes?” she asked, pointing to the decorative cross draped in white cloth at the front of the sanctuary.
Music started, and she returned to doodling in the bulletin. Meanwhile, I was reeling. How do I answer that? In the particularly concrete mind of a four-year-old, of course it would make sense that Jesus would be present. We remind her over and over again that Jesus is real, and He is always with us.
The jump to faith, to believing in what we have not seen, is hard to explain to her, and harder still to model. But this is the tension we hold: we believe in something we cannot see, but it is something real and present and happening right now.
Christ is holding session as King over all creation. Right now. This very moment. He has since the day He ascended, and He will until the day He returns. Christ’s “session” began when He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father.
Theologian Karl Barth wrote, “The summit has been reached, the perfect tenses lie behind us and we enter the realm of the present… Whatever prosperity or defeat may occur in our space, whatever may become and pass away, there is one constant, one thing that remains and continues, this sitting of his at the right hand of God the Father.”
From the day Adam and Eve fell and were banished from Eden, people have been waiting for a king. David, with promised covenant kingship, knew that a greater King was coming. He wrote in Psalm 110, “The LORD declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’” (v.1).
God called together a people, first through Abraham and his descendants, and later through the apostles whom Jesus commissioned to go to the nations and invite people into the kingdom. We are now God’s people: a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for His possession. (1 Peter 2:9–10) And we are a people with a King, living by faith in the already-but-not-yet kingdom of Christ, inaugurated when He ascended to take His spot on the throne, “exalted to the right hand of God” (Acts 2:33).
In Colossians, Paul wrote that in His rescue of us, Christ has “ transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). We, the communion of saints through the ages, live presently in the kingdom ruled by Jesus the Son, who holds His continuous session at the right hand of God. Our King holds all things together.
When my daughter asks, “Where is He? Where is Jesus?” my answer isn’t as simple as pointing her to the front of the church. But it is an easy one: He is on His throne, seated at the right hand of God the Father, ruling His kingdom and loving His people. And our response to Him is honor, service, and faithfulness.
The sweet, sweet hymn “Fairest Lord Jesus” summarizes our posture so beautifully:
Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.
19 thoughts on "Jesus Is Our Righteous King"
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“For everything was created by Him,
in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible … all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). He created all things and He rules all things. He is in control. All nature bows to His decree. And I, I bow in humility and praise before His great power, wisdom, mercy, and love. -
Churchmouse, love love love your posts. This is perfect, “Jesus sits on His throne. (All is under His control.)
The Holy Spirit lives in me. (All is well with my soul.)”. I am saying this daily now!! -
I did a search on the scriptures Terri was talking about and found: http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=51078
And I also typed in asking where were the people that died before Jesus. I’ve found Got Questions to be a good site.
I know you can’t trust all commentaries, and I know to test what is read.
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I never quite comprehended this before. Jesus’s kingdom is right here, right now. My citizenship in his kingdom supersedes my belonging anywhere else or in anything else. This causes a fundamental shift in how I perceive myself!
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He is on the throne. He is in control. Always have to remind myself of that when things get crazy. In a week and a half I’ll be going to Hawaii for my internship!! Wow. Can’t believe it. I’m excited and also nervous/scared. I’ll be traveling alone for the first time and it is just going to be a very different summer than normal, since I’ll be there for the whole summer (3 months). But I know that God is in control and he will be with me through it all. I’m also just incredibly and beyond grateful for the opportunity. I know not many people have the means to go to Hawaii, but I am so thankful for my family that is supporting me and encouraging me in pursuing a career in the marine animal/conservation field. Gonna be a big growing experience for sure! Prayers appreciated for confidence, strength, and peace, that I wouldn’t be afraid to be myself, that I would learn a lot, and most importantly that I would reflect Christ and rely on Him in everything that I do this summer. Love you all!
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In our reading Col 1:15 The firstborn over all creation and Col 1:18 “firstborn from the dead”.
Where were the spirits of the “saints” (those who died before Jesus ascended after dying and who believed in a Messiah saving them) before Jesus died, rose and ascended? Jesus was “firstborn ” so they could not be “born” and not in heaven before Jesus was “firstborn”.
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I’ve been there MJ. Pray my friend. Ask Him for change, passion and freedom from anxiety and depression. He will deliver you. He has delivered me. I praise Him! Surrender to His will and walk faithfully through this time as you continue to love and serve Him in the power of the Holy Spirit. It might seem long and slow to come but it will come!
Weeping endures for the night but joy comes in the morning! Trust His promises “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”Isaiah 43:19 -
Where is He? He is on the throne seated at the right hand of the Father. Lord Jesus may my life be praise and service and your love poured out. May I remember and speaks your words of love, forgiveness and healing Jesus. Hugs to you Sisters thankful for your words that point to our Lord. He reigns!
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