Okay, shameless quote from Lord of the Rings there. As you read through Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul writes in there about Jesus being in the position of authority, where all things are under His feet, and where He is far above all rule and power and authority. Jesus sits in the position of authority! He is the one to whom all things will report, whether now, or when all things in the creation come to their completion. Nothing happens without His oversight, which raises a lot of good questions for us Christians to ponder.
As we consider this, I would actually like to guide us back to another place in the earthly life of Jesus. It is recorded in both Matthew and Luke's accounts of the Gospels. Essentially, Jesus fasts for 40 days following His baptism. Satan then comes to tempt Him. In the course of the temptations, one of these involves bowing down to Satan and worshipping him, and in doing so, Jesus could have all the kingdoms of the world and their glory at His disposal. In other words, Jesus could basically dictate the way this world would run and operate. Everything could happen according to the pattern that Jesus would set.
I've thought about this temptation a lot in recent years. At first, I approached it in this way. "No way would I want that. How could that even be a temptation to Jesus?" But then, I started thinking about what this temptation implied. Jesus could arrange things where no one would ever suffer from injustice. Jesus could create a world where things like the sex trade simply wouldn't happen. Jesus could rule over the world according to His goodness and kindness, and legislate things according to His will and design for life. What could be better, right? Just imagine a world where we didn't have to worry about the wicked getting away with it, and the just being unfairly trampled upon.
Except that it would cost all of us our eternity with God. And to think. Jesus chose, for us, a life that would be filled with pain and suffering, all so that we could have the hope and possibility of being with Him forever. It doesn't seem right. After all, if Jesus has all authority now, couldn't He just do that? Why doesn't He do that now? And yet, it seems that He chooses a course that involves our pain and suffering.
The thing is, He knew that He Himself would bear all that pain and suffering. Yes, sadly, some would be lost along the way. But not all. There would be those who would hear of what Jesus did for them, and who would believe, and who would then be part of His everlasting kingdom. And that puts the pain and suffering of this world into a new perspective. It's only temporary. There is something much greater that lies ahead. No, it may not make life in this world any easier to deal with, but we face that future with a great deal of hope. Jesus is going to make all things right for us.
So yes, He can have authority over all things, knowing that, when they all bow down to Him, He will get to grant eternal life to some who come out of it. And that is why we can rest in His hands, even when pain and suffering come along. Jesus knew of what lay ahead, and has told us that He has gone there to prepare a place for us. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of authority that I want someone to have, and in whose hands I want to be.
As we consider this, I would actually like to guide us back to another place in the earthly life of Jesus. It is recorded in both Matthew and Luke's accounts of the Gospels. Essentially, Jesus fasts for 40 days following His baptism. Satan then comes to tempt Him. In the course of the temptations, one of these involves bowing down to Satan and worshipping him, and in doing so, Jesus could have all the kingdoms of the world and their glory at His disposal. In other words, Jesus could basically dictate the way this world would run and operate. Everything could happen according to the pattern that Jesus would set.
I've thought about this temptation a lot in recent years. At first, I approached it in this way. "No way would I want that. How could that even be a temptation to Jesus?" But then, I started thinking about what this temptation implied. Jesus could arrange things where no one would ever suffer from injustice. Jesus could create a world where things like the sex trade simply wouldn't happen. Jesus could rule over the world according to His goodness and kindness, and legislate things according to His will and design for life. What could be better, right? Just imagine a world where we didn't have to worry about the wicked getting away with it, and the just being unfairly trampled upon.
Except that it would cost all of us our eternity with God. And to think. Jesus chose, for us, a life that would be filled with pain and suffering, all so that we could have the hope and possibility of being with Him forever. It doesn't seem right. After all, if Jesus has all authority now, couldn't He just do that? Why doesn't He do that now? And yet, it seems that He chooses a course that involves our pain and suffering.
The thing is, He knew that He Himself would bear all that pain and suffering. Yes, sadly, some would be lost along the way. But not all. There would be those who would hear of what Jesus did for them, and who would believe, and who would then be part of His everlasting kingdom. And that puts the pain and suffering of this world into a new perspective. It's only temporary. There is something much greater that lies ahead. No, it may not make life in this world any easier to deal with, but we face that future with a great deal of hope. Jesus is going to make all things right for us.
So yes, He can have authority over all things, knowing that, when they all bow down to Him, He will get to grant eternal life to some who come out of it. And that is why we can rest in His hands, even when pain and suffering come along. Jesus knew of what lay ahead, and has told us that He has gone there to prepare a place for us. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of authority that I want someone to have, and in whose hands I want to be.
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