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Jesus Standing at the Right Hand of God

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            Last month we examined the importance of Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. We noticed that the right hand was a place of equal power, authority, and honor. Christ is God. God the Father and God the Son are equals; one is not greater than the other. The fact Jesus is sitting indicates He has completed His task. He accomplished His objective at the cross and now He sits in Heaven next to God. Yet, an interesting scene is presented at Stephen’s death. As the Jewish council prepared to stone him, Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:54-55). Stephen said, “Look! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:56). This is the only place in the New Testament where Jesus is recorded as standing next to God. Since Luke was guided by the Holy Spirit and a physician by trade, it should not surprise us that he was meticulous about writing every minute detail. There is a reason Luke wrote this account as he did. In this article, the 2 most likely reasons will be considered.

Photo by Jessica Fadel

            When royalty stands, it is either out of anger or honor for the person before him. The Bible, in several places, validates this statement. King Ahasuerus arose out of anger when Esther revealed Haman’s plot to kill the Jewish people (Est. 7:1-7). Out of anger, Jonathan arose from the table while he argued with his father Saul concerning David (1 Sam. 20:34). When Isaiah was preaching to Judah about their sinful living, the prophet described the Lord as standing up to judge them. God’s anger caused Him to arise and judge those who were living in wickedness (Is. 3:8-15). On the other hand, royalty also will stand when they wish to honor someone. When Jonah’s message of Nineveh’s destruction reached the Assyrian king, he arose and humbled himself before God (Jonah 3:4-10). When Josiah ordered the Law to be read to all the people of Jerusalem, he stood beside a pillar at the temple and made a covenant before the Lord (2 Kgs. 23:1-3). These verses illustrate that royalty stood either out of anger or out of respect, depending on the person. Jesus standing at Stephen’s death may have been both out of anger and honor. Jesus may have stood in anger against those who stoned Stephen, certainly their wicked action would have displeased our Savior (Acts 7:57-60). Jesus may have stood out of respect for His faithful martyr who had preached His Gospel without fear (Acts 7:1-53).

            The second possible reason Jesus stood at Stephen’s death was because He was standing as a witness on Stephen’s behalf. The proper posture for a witness was standing; an example of this can be found at Jesus trial when his accusers stood up to give their false testimony (Mk. 14:56-59). Therefore, Jesus was standing as an advocate to the Father on behalf of Stephen. Stephen was confessing Jesus before men and Jesus was in turn confessing Stephen before God. Those that hold to this view find a real-life example of Christ acting on His promise (Matt. 10:32-33). Without a doubt, Jesus is the Christian’s advocate to the Father if we confess our sins (1 John. 1:9-2:2). The imagery of Jesus standing to defend Stephen should warm the Christian’s heart and give he/she hope that Christ will do the same for us if we stand up for Him in this life.

            We cannot know with certainty why Jesus stood in Stephen’s vision. The reasons given were possibilities, not certainties. This article was written to draw attention to how important it is to notice the small details. It is beneficial to read your Bible, but it is even more beneficial to study it deeply. May the Lord bless you in your deep study of His Word.    

 

–Brandon Foresha

Keeping the Pace

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Last Saturday, October 12, Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours. There were several factors that contributed to Kipchoge’s amazing achievement, among which was a team that helped him run the race. Unlike a normal marathon race where runners are competing against each other, this marathon was designed to help him break the two-hour mark. Forty elite runners were rotated in as pace setters. They ran in a precise formation to help break the wind for him. They were also guided by a pace car that projected a green laser to show where they should run to keep the shortest distance on the course. All of this aided an amazing marathoner to achieve his goal.

In the letter of Hebrews we are exhorted with these words:  “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:1-2). The Christian life is like an endurance race. We must patiently continue to endure and set our minds on the final goal. This race will not be won if we allow sin to slow us down and take us off pace.

A team is invaluable to helping us achieve our goal of going to heaven. The book of Hebrews highlights the deceitfulness of sin and our responsibility as Christians to help one another in running this race, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (3:12-13). The book also admonishes, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (10:24-25).

Paul wrote, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it” (1 Corinthians 9:24). In the context, Paul was warning about those who started the race but did not win the prize. He knew that as much as he had followed Christ, if he failed to live a disciplined life, then he could be disqualified (v. 27). The example of those Israelites who were delivered from Egyptian bondage yet never made it to the Promised Land is also given to remind us that starting the race doesn’t mean one will finish (1 Cor. 10:1-11).

The good thing about going to heaven is that we are not competing to get there. We all can pace each other into the finish line and receive eternal life. Then we will be able to say like Paul, “I have finished the race” (2 Timothy 4:7). Will you help me get to heaven?

 

–Mark Day