JESUS IS EXALTED TO EXALT YOU.
EPHESIANS 1:15-23
In
the name + of Jesus.
M: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Cong: He
is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Every Sunday, we confess about Jesus, “He
ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty” (Apostles’ Creed). Jesus
Christ is exalted above all things, just as St. Paul wrote: “(God) raised
(Jesus) from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, and above every name that
is given, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians
1:20-21). There is no one who is
greater, more powerful, more sovereign than Jesus. He is exalted above all things and all
people.
During his
life, Jesus was not exalted. Rather, we
speak of his humiliation. In this case,
humiliation is not embarrassment. God
the Son was not embarrassed to become a man.
But God the Son humbled himself to take the form of a
servant—subservient to the demands of God’s Law and subservient to the trials,
temptations, and troubles of a sinful world.
Jesus made himself subservient to his enemies who slandered him, seized
him, and sentenced him. God the Son humbled
himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Jesus humbled himself so that he could exalt
you.
You and I have
every reason to humble ourselves. Consider
what St. Paul wrote to the Philippians: “In humility consider one another
better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).
How are you doing with that? How
many people do you consider better than yourself? Who knows your sins better than you do? You might see some sins in other people, but
you know all of yours. Despite our sins,
we don’t humble ourselves as we ought. If
you believe that your sins deserve God’s righteous judgment, then how could you
boast that you deserve honor? And how
could you exalt yourself over others?
This is what the Lord says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled”
(Matthew 23:12). If you will not
humble yourself before the Lord, he will humble you at the final judgment. Repent.
God the
Son humbled himself to die on a cross. More
than that, God the Son humbled himself to be cursed for us. Jesus willingly took the lowest place, dying
as THE sinner on behalf of all sinners. Jesus
humbled himself in order to exalt you. His
humility atones for your exalting yourself over others. He died in shame to secure eternal glory for
you. He has pulled you up from an
eternity of hellfire so that you will receive the everlasting peace and joy of
heaven. Jesus was humbled to exalt you.
We think
of Jesus’ crucifixion as a beautiful thing.
We have adorned our sanctuary with a processional crucifix. For, it is not the bare cross that paid for
the sins of the world, but it was the God who suffered and died on that cross
which pays for the sins of all. Faith
sees the crucified Lord as something beautiful and glorious, but there was
never any beauty in crucifixion. There
was never intended to be. The Romans
carried out this sentence publicly so that no one else would be emboldened to
attempt what the condemned man had done.
They stripped their victims to die naked. They made this death as shameful as they
could. In many cases, the bodies were
also left on the cross to rot, left for birds of prey. If this disgusts you, that’s what was
intended. There was no glory in
crucifixion.
We are not scandalized by the cross
because we know that was the payment for our sins. Just as we are not scandalized by Jesus’ humble
sufferings and death, neither are we astounded by Jesus’ exaltation and
ascension into heaven. Who is surprised
to hear that God rules over everything?
Even though God the Son humbled himself to be our Savior, he never
stopped being God. He never lost his
power, glory, or majesty. So, it’s not
like he was given back glory that was taken from him. That God, who humbled himself, is now again
exalted does not come as a shock. The
shock is that a man has been exalted. Jesus
did not shed his humanity when he rose from the dead and ascended into
heaven. This man now possesses all
power, glory, and majesty. The hosts of
heaven proclaim his praise: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing”
(Revelation 5:12). Now, a man has
all things under his feet. Now, a man holds
all authority in heaven and on earth. Now,
a man has ascended to reign in heaven, equal to the Father and the Holy
Spirit. This is what it means that Jesus
is exalted. This is certainly worthy of
praise.
On June 10, 1945, there was a parade in
New York City. General Dwight D.
Eisenhower was honored with a ticker-tape parade. It is estimated that over 5,000 tons of
paper, confetti, and cloth were thrown from the buildings. An estimated four million people were there
to celebrate General Eisenhower. Now, if
the celebration were just to honor Eisenhower for being a general or for coming
to New York, the celebration would have served no purpose except to stroke his
ego. But the people celebrated because
Eisenhower commanded the Allied troops to defeat Nazi Germany and save
thousands, if not millions, of lives.
So, the people celebrated not just because of Eisenhower’s victory, but
because Eisenhower’s victory benefited them.
He conquered the enemy for them!
If Jesus’ ascension is only about his
glory and honor, then we might think, “Well, good for him.” But St. Paul reminds you that Jesus’
ascension is not for his exaltation alone.
“God placed all things under his feet and made him head over
everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:22, emphasis added). Jesus lives and reigns over all things for
you! This man went into death to redeem you
from damnation. This man conquered the
grave so that death and the grave would not hold mankind. This man ascended into heaven, paving the way
for mankind to enter the glories of heaven and to dwell with the Father in
peace. This man now lives and reigns
over all things for you. Jesus is
exalted to exalt you!
God the
Son became a man to redeem mankind. Upon
completing this mission, Jesus is exalted to the highest place. But he did not stop being a man. Instead, Jesus exalts our humanity. He shows us what God intends us to be. And at the resurrection, you will not be
changed into another person or become something completely different. You will be raised up perfect people—with
whole bodies, sound minds, pure thoughts, and godly attitudes. God first created mankind to be holy and he
called them good. Jesus will exalt you
back to such glory. Jesus is exalted to
exalt you.
“He
ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty” (Apostles’ Creed). “God
placed all things under his feet and made him head over everything for the
church” (Ephesians 1:22, emphasis added). Here is where we still need to practice our
humility. If Jesus is ruling over all
things for the good of his Church, we might ask, “Then why isn’t everything
good? Why do I have to endure
weaknesses? Why must I bear a
cross? Why do I still endure a troubled
world? Why do I still struggle with sin
and temptation?”
Dear
Christians, Jesus is ruling all things for your good. But understand that Jesus’ goal is not just
to make life easy so that you can coast through it. If he did, you would conclude that you don’t
need Jesus. But he lets you suffer
weaknesses so that you will call upon him for strength. He makes you bear a cross so you will put to
death desires for a perfect world when your desires should be for the Paradise
to come. He leaves you in a troubled
world so that you can bear witness to many troubled souls that Jesus is the remedy
for all troubles.
He humbles
you for the time being so that he will finally exalt you forever. After all, this is the pattern Jesus himself
followed when he walked the earth. On
the earth, Jesus dwelt in a state of humiliation. It was not until his resurrection that Jesus
was exalted to glory. And so it is with
you. In this world, you are humbled, but
at the resurrection, you will be exalted to glory. That is the good that Jesus intends for you,
and it is the good that he is working in you and for you. Jesus is exalted to exalt you.
This is
the prayer that St. Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians, and it is still
the prayer for Christians today. Paul
wrote, “I keep praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing Christ
fully. I pray that the eyes of your
heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope to which he has called
you, just how rich his glorious inheritance among the saints is, and just how
surpassingly great his power is for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19).
The prayer
of the Church is that we get to know Christ more fully and to benefit from the
gifts that he gives. We not only get to
know him more fully, we also become more like him. He became one of us so that we could become
more like him—pure in thoughts and speech, devoted to godliness and good works,
waiting to be exalted and welcomed into heavenly glory.
But do not
lose sight of this: Jesus has exalted you already. You are children of the Most High God. You may not feel like it. It does not look like it, but it is true. You have God’s own word on it. When Jesus walked the earth, he did not look
like God the Son. He did not radiate
with glory. He did not appear in
dazzling splendor, with one exception (his transfiguration). Nevertheless, Jesus is and always was God the
Son. It’s just that his divinity was
hidden in his humble state under frail flesh.
So also,
you are children of the Most High God. You
are heirs of heavenly riches. You are
saints destined for endless glory. Jesus
has told you so. And since his word is
supreme, you can be sure that it is true.
It is as St. John wrote in his first epistle, “See the kind of love
the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is
what we are! The world does not know us,
because it did not know him. Dear
friends, we are children of God now, but what we will be has not yet been
revealed. We know that when he is
revealed we will be like him” (1 John 3:1-2).
Jesus is
exalted to exalt you. And Jesus will
lead you through the path he has set—humility, then glory. Death, then resurrection, then ascension to
the glorious kingdom. “He ascended
into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty”
(Apostles’ Creed)—and all for you.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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