Jesus is Waiting
About this series:
Throughout 2023 our Sunday teaching series has been on The Kingdom Of God. During the five summer Sundays we’ll take a break from that series as we ask, “What is Jesus doing now?”
Christians tend to focus, understandably, on what Jesus has done - in his life, death and resurrection - and on what he will do - return. But the Christian faith has always understood Jesus to have a current ministry too, as the New Testament explains that he ascended not only because his work was done but also to continue his work (though now from his exalted, ascended, victorious position at his Father’s right hand). So we’ll do well to spend these weeks considering this often-neglected facet of the Bible’s teaching, helping us discover the implications of Jesus’ ascension. One writer goes so far as to say, ‘The continuing reign and life of the enthroned Christ is the theological core and narrative heart of Acts and the basis for the rest of the New Testament’ (Patrick Schreiner).
So, having ascended, what is Jesus doing now? He is reigning, praying, advocating, sending and waiting (this is not an exhaustive list). ‘He leads not in heaven a life of mere glory, majesty and blessedness, but a life of office, love and care also’ (John Owen).
Jesus is reigning: he sat down to reign, ruling all things according to his word and his will.
Jesus is praying: from his position as conquering king he is interceding for us.
Jesus is advocating: his presence in heaven witnesses to the eternal effectiveness of his death and resurrection for us.
Jesus is sending: sending the promised Holy Spirit to empower his people with his presence.
Jesus is waiting: he is awaiting the day of his return, the defeat of his enemies and the celebration of being united with his bride in the new creation.
About this talk:
Scripture:
Jesus is waiting to return. Not waiting impatiently or anxiously (as we are prone to do), but waiting nonetheless given that he made it clear only the Father knows the time and date of his return: “About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).
There are many occasions in the New Testament where we are told to wait for Jesus’ return (for example, 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Titus 2:13) and to do so patiently (Romans 8:25) and eagerly (1 Corinthians 1:7). In fact, just as we groan inwardly, eagerly awaiting his return and our resurrection, so the entire creation “waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” on that day (Romans 8:19-23).
Three times in a short space Peter talks about “looking forward” to Jesus’ return (2 Peter 3:12-14), where “looking forward” has the sense of waiting in eager anticipation - as a child might look forward to Christmas or a family looks forward to being reunited. But only once - Hebrews 10:13 - are we specifically told that Jesus is waiting, which I am sure he is doing both patiently and eagerly. Hebrews 10 explains how much greater the ministry of Jesus is than that of the Old Testament sacrificial system. In contrast to the old, endless cycle of ineffective sacrifices, Jesus, by offering himself once and for all, “has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy.” While the priests continued to stand to perform their neverending sacrifices, Jesus completed his work and therefore sat down after his perfect sacrifice. “Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.”
The idea of enemies being under someone’s feet is first mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 10:24: “When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, ‘Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.’ So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.” It’s an image of enemies being defeated, humiliated, under the control of the victor.
Most famously, the image is used in a Messianic Psalm of David: “The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ The Lord will extend your mighty sceptre from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of your enemies!’” (Psalm 110:1) Of all the Old Testament verses quoted or alluded to in the New Testament, this one appears most frequently, which gives a clue as to the importance of the image in understanding the nature of Jesus’ victory and the trajectory of history.
So while Jesus waits, he is doing so actively - he is reigning, praying, advocating and sending. But nonetheless he is waiting - for that great day when he returns, when his enemies are finally banished, when God’s children receive their full inheritance, when he is joined to his bride and God dwells with his people in the new heaven that will fill the new earth.
All of which clearly has vast implications for how we are to live our daily lives - looking forward, anticipating, longing for the day when all God’s enemies are fully and finally dealt with, to trouble us no more.
Audio only
