In a previous study we noted that on three occasions the Lord lifted his eyes to heaven, thus recognizing that the powers he was exercising were not his own, but were derived from his Father. There was no attempt at self-glorification. The whole ministry was an application of what Paul said to the Corinthians: “For who maketh thee to differ? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? But if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hast not received it?” (I Cor. 4:7, RV as all quotes unless noted). There is no place for self-importance in the life of God’s children. The psalmist had perceived this: “LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too wonderful for me” (131:1). It is to our humility and loving gratitude toward Him that God responds (see Isa. 66:1-2).
The Father’s response
And God does respond: “…I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). Our Lord received many evidences of the truth of these words. If we have had occasion to note the three times Jesus raised his eyes to heaven, we also discover that in the gospel records God audibly responded three times to His Son. In addition to the occasions of his baptism and transfiguration, of which account has already been taken, we recall that John alone records the following words, and the response: “Father, glorify thy name. There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:28). Significantly, the voice spoke after our Lord had declared: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour,” a declaration which portends Gethsemane, and the Lord’s resolve to do his Father’s will.
Going to the Father
While we are now primarily concerned with the theme of the Father’s response to the Son, we need to remember that our Lord was sustained throughout his ministry by the prophecies in the Old Testament relating to himself and his ministry. There was one incident we referred to earlier in these studies to which we will now give closer attention. It is found in a psalm which had special meaning for him: “The Lord saith unto my lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psa. 110:1).
That the Lord was well acquainted with the passage is evidenced by the fact he quoted it to those endeavoring to ensnare him by their questions (Matt. 22:41-46, Mark 12:35-37, Luke 20: 41-44). He was the one to whom the prophecy undoubtedly referred. If indeed he was to be seated at God’s right hand, what could that be but a promise of his ascent to heaven? Confirmation of this conclusion is to be found in Luke 9:51: “And it came to pass, when the days were well nigh come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” What is of special interest is that expression, “be received up.” This is not to be confused with “being lifted up,” which unquestionably relates to his crucifixion (see especially John 12:32-33). The term used by Luke, antisepsis, is used only here in the New Testament. Luke, however, uses the verb which corresponds to this noun, Alabaman, to refer to the Lord’s ascension to heaven (see Acts 1:2,11,22). Paul, too, used the term in the same connection when he spoke of the Lord being “received up in glory” (I Tim. 3:16).
Although the Lord quotes Psalm 110 relatively late in the ministry, he indicated earlier that he was going to the Father: “Yet a little while am I with you, and I go unto him that sent me,” a statement which baffled the Jews (John 7:33-36). One of the great marks of the truth of the gospel of John is this matter of the Lord’s ascension. As we are well aware, the apostles were wrestling more than once with the meaning of the words. In the final exchanges between the eleven and himself, Jesus said: “I came out from the Father, and am come into the world: again,I leave the world and go unto the Father” (John 16:28). The Lord here proclaimed two great truths: he is the Son of God, and is now going to his Father (cf. John 13:1). Of these two fundamental verities, the apostles had come to believe firmly in the first. The second was at that stage utterly beyond their comprehension. Even after the Lord’s resurrection, they were not anticipating his ascension to heaven. Did they not say “Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).
We know from Hebrews 12:2 that for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross. What was the reason for this joy? This question has been answered in more than one way. However, the supreme joy for our Lord was surely the prospect of being received up into heaven, of being in the presence of his Father. If there is any lingering doubt about this suggestion, it must surely be removed by the promise in the Messianic psalm: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psa. 16:11, NIV). It is beyond the limits of our mortal imagination to conceive the joy experienced by our Lord when he was received into his Father’s bosom (cf. John 1:18). Could any thought more adequately express the love which united the Father and His Son?
Forty days of teaching
Luke informs us that at the end of forty days the Lord ascended to heaven (Acts 1:3). May we not see in this fact a token of our Lord’s humility? Presumably he could have been received up into heaven immediately after his resurrection. But he loved those followers who had been his companions and shared his experiences: “…I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29-30). They had not been able to understand his words when he had told them about his shameful death, and his resurrection the third day (see, especially, Luke 18:3-34). It was, therefore, necessary that he should demonstrate the reality of his resurrection “by many proofs,” and doing this over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3). Then there was a need for his followers to understand the bearing of Old Testament prophecy upon his person and his mission. So it is that, on one important occasion, he opened their “minds that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45).
The fruit of all this may be seen in the boldness of the apostolic testimony in the record of Acts. Flanked by the eleven, Peter is able to declare in Jerusalem itself, and with the maximum confidence, “This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:32). This notion of the personal testimony of the apostles is an all-important factor in Acts (see 3:15). As Peter proclaimed when John and he appeared before the Sanhedrin: “For we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard” (4:20). Paul, who attached so much importance to his own experiences of the Lord, gladly acknowledged in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch the special contribution the apostles were making: “And he was seen for many days of them that came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses unto the people” (Acts 13:31).
The Saviour exalted
Despite the indignities inflicted upon our Lord’s body, and indeed because they were borne at the Father’s behest, it was not possible his body should know corruption (Acts 2:27, quoting Psa. 16:10). The resurrection of the Lord Jesus set the Father’s seal upon him. But there was more: as we have already reminded ourselves, he had the unique honour of being elevated to the Father’s right hand where he will remain until the time appointed. Before his ascension, he was able to say to his apostles: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). This is a truly awesome thought, endorsed more than once in the epistles. Paul, who had the experience in painful circumstances at first of seeing the glorified Lord, testifies that the Father made His Son “to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church…” (Eph. 1:20-22).
The Lord is thus supreme above all created beings, but is himself subject to his Father. This will be made evident when our Lord will have completed the work given to him (I Cor.15:28). Despite his elevation, the Lord Jesus remains the same, merciful, compassionate man, calling men to his service. The privilege we enjoy if we are truly in Christ and are activated by his spirit (see Rom. 8:9) is already immeasurable; and in the world to come and beyond the joys are unsearchable.
Let us not forget, however, that there is a condition which we must satisfy; the condition which was the starting point in this present series and exemplified by the one whose example we have been studying, (see “Tidings,” April 1997). “Verily I say unto you, except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
Thus when the Lord, with characteristic and remarkable humility, girds himself and invites his faithful servants to sit down and eat with him (see Luke 12:37), it will be with a great company united by the spirit of humility and love for him and his followers.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One