The Man On The Throne
Part of the Holy Week series
Read Part II of this series on Holy Week: The Man On The Middle Cross
Read Part I: The Man On a Donkey
Happy Easter!
On Monday, we looked at The Man on a donkey. On Friday, we looked at The Man on the middle cross. Today, we look at The Man on the throne.
Throne imagery is not something you will find in the Gospel resurrection accounts of Jesus. However, my aim for this post is to have our understanding of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to go far beyond just one Sunday two thousand years ago. The resurrection was not just an event in the past, but it is an active present and future reality. According to the biblical authors and to the early Christians, the resurrection of Jesus meant that the evil powers of this world had been thwarted and the authority of God over all creation had been firmly established.'
Jesus’ Authority Over His Enemies
Before Jesus was crucified, this was part of his exchange he had with Pilate where he proclaimed his authority as the God-man, even while he was imprisoned,
10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
Pilate flaunts his authority around as something to scare his subjects with, but Jesus uses this opportunity to pronounce who the real authority is in the room. Jesus’ boldness is something to marvel at. A relatively unknown man in Jesus, who rode in on a donkey a few days earlier, comes in and says to the most powerful man in the region that he only has the position he has because Jesus has allowed it. Not only has he allowed it, but Jesus has actually given it to him.
It’s perhaps the greatest act of defiance in the Gospels. It’s like if an immigrant entered the White House lawn on a bicycle and said that he had the sole authority to change the Constitution — and that might not even capture this biblical moment adequately.
Pilate would have no authority unless it was distributed to him from God. Jesus allowed Pilate to have authority over him, and it was only by Jesus’ own submission that Pilate had power over him. The power Pilate had was exercised through capital punishment, but that was not the final word. Three days later, Jesus would prove his authority not only over Pilate, but Cesaer, and death itself.
Jesus’ Authority Over Death
Pilate only had authority over Jesus because Jesus had given it to him, but death only had the illusion of authority of Jesus. At the time of Jesus’ death, his followers thought that he had lost the battle and the Kingdom was ending. However, Jesus warned his followers before his death not to be tricked.
In John 10, Jesus says this about his impending death (emphasis my own),
17 “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10: 17-18)
Jesus warned his followers that no one is able to take his life and that it could only be given up freely by him. The authority over Jesus’ life belonged only to the Father and the Son. So, when the Romans were crucifying him, and the religious leaders reveled in their perceived victory, and Satan was popping champagne, it was all one big ruse.
This is why I love the end of 1 Corinthians 1 where Paul says,
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (1 Cor. 1:27)
Under the guise of weakness and foolishness, Jesus went to the cross in order to shame the evil powers of this world and prove that he was more powerful than death itself. Through his methods of meekness, grace, and humility, Jesus proved more powerful than anything on earth.
Peter, in preaching to his fellow Jews at Pentecost, preached this message,
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
The last part of verse 24 always sticks out to me.
“It was not possible for him to be held by it.”
Jesus is too much for death. It can’t hold him down. He was always going to win the battle. Death was overmatched.
As a father of a young daughter, and a son on the way, I think about when I let my daughter think that she is beating me at something. Like, when she’s hiding and I just can’t find her! Or when she “tickles” me so good that I lose control of my whole body in laughter. Or, in the future, when my son tries to beat me 1-on-1 in basketball. They genuinely think they’ve got me right where they want me. Then, in the blink of an eye, before they can even realize what’s happening, I have overtaken them with my dad-strength.
That had to be what death and the devil experienced. They have got Jesus on the ropes, they are doing everything they can, and they believe they have won — I mean, he’s dead after all!
Not so fast.
Three days later, up from the grave he arose! Jesus was the only one with the authority to give up his life, as well as the authority to give himself new life.
It is with this new, resurrection life that we can have confidence about the future.
Jesus’ Authority Over His Followers
Through Jesus’ resurrection, his authority over all the earth had been firmly exercised. He said this to his disciples before his ascension into Heaven (emphasis my own),
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
No longer will Jesus give up his authority or be in submission to anyone. Death and the wicked rulers of this world no longer have power over him, or us, and that’s how he’s able to give out this command.
This is where the resurrection of Jesus becomes a present and future reality for us to live in.
Invoking his authority over all of the earth, Jesus gave out a command to his followers to spread the Kingdom to all nations. Jesus would then ascend up to Heaven to take his seat on the eternal throne of David. From this kingly posture, Jesus is able to give out this perpetual command to make disciples of all nations.
It is only through the power of the resurrection that we can have confidence as we try to fulfill King Jesus’ commands. Because Jesus has been resurrected, we will be also.
The entirety of 1 Corinthians 15 is about the truth of our future resurrection. With this in mind, we know that we can face tomorrow with a security unknown to unbelievers. This security is not that we will be safe from harm, but that our bodies will be raised again one day. Because of our new life to come, based on the authority of the one who defeated sin, hell, and the grave, we can take the command to take the Gospel to the nations and our neighbors with confidence.
If our future resurrection is not a reality, Paul puts it best,
If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. (1 Corinthians 15:32b)
So, here’s my question to you, to myself: are we living as if the resurrection is real?
Taking the Great Commission seriously and living the way Jesus taught us is not easy, but that is why the end of Matthew 28 is so crucial.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b)
The resurrected Jesus is awaiting his second and final return, but he is still always with us. He encourages us and provides strength and wisdom. He does not leave us alone. A dead man cannot do this.
On Easter, remember that a living man rules the Earth from the throne of Heaven. Try to remember it tomorrow, too.
Your comments on 1 Cor. 1:24 really hit home. Indeed, it was a ruse as it was just not possible for death to break him. I will remember that today and tomorrow, as I live in the resurrection reality. Thank you, Max!