By Sis. Judith Anyaba
Once, a preacher told his story about how he had gone to minister to the saints in the U.S. and was scheduled to fly back home the next day for another ministration. He told of how after the ministration of the day, he had retired to his hotel room for the night and was informed that there was a hurricane… heading towards the city where he was residing—the events after are nothing short of mind-blowing. The man of God recounted how he had boldly disagreed with the pronouncement and stood hımself against the wind and rebuked it…..
And it was gone. Just….like…that.
In a similar biblical scenario, Mark 6:45-52 and John 6:16-21 NIV, give the same account of an event that had happened, of Jesus, after having spent days teaching and ministering to the sick, told his disciples to go over and wait for him on the other side of the sea, while he dispersed the crowd. This was after He had fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. Of course, it would have been difficult to send them away.
Mark records that Jesus, afterwards, went by himself to pray. Meanwhile, there was an active struggle at sea, 12 mortal men against a heavy storm, stranded at sea; tossed about by the waves, until The Word himself came.
A comical mind would project a scene where these men are struggling with a rocking boat and someone is just casually strolling by (Mark 6:48). Perhaps, He saw them and was exasperated at their faithlessness, and in today’s modern slang, he was “too tired to deal.”
The account in Mark tells us that the disciples were terrified seeing him walk on water, and indeed, no wonder Jesus was going to pass by. These same people had seen him preach, heal, and feed five thousand people with barely anything just moments ago! However, when they cried out, He went to them, told them not to be afraid and joined them. Mark then writes that this same wind, which was against them before, suddenly ceased. Just….like…that.
Perhaps, as you read this, you’re thinking about how possible it is for a man or woman like yourself to do the same works Jesus did. Perhaps, you think there must be ‘levels’ to these things. The question that should follow that thought would be, ‘Then, on what level are you?’
The Believer’s Source of Authority
“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:32-34 NIV)
This was part of Peter’s address to the audience on the day of Pentecost. In this excerpt, there was a resurrection, there were witnesses of his ascension (that Jesus was exalted by the right hand of God), and then, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The word ‘exalted’ implies ‘to be lifted high’. ‘High’ in this context is ‘the right hand of God’. The ‘Right hand’ implies a place of honor and authority. ‘God’, in the text, refers to the ‘Father’. This means that Jesus, is now in the highest place of authority, because in John 14:10, He says, ‘I am in the Father, and the Father is in me’.
This also means that Jesus and the Father are one. Jesus, in coming to earth was identifying with man, so that, by his resurrection and ascension, man can identify with him. This is why following that statement, in verses 12 to 13, Jesus then tells us that because He goes to his Father, the person who believes in Him, will do the works that He did, and greater, because that person is now in Christ, who is exalted. Therefore, the believer has attained a new status as one who is exalted with Christ.
Paul also explains this further in the book of Ephesians,
“He exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. ” (Ephesians 1:20-22 NIV)
And of the believer it says,
“ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 2:4-6 NIV)
Putting it all together, the one who believes in the reality of Jesus’ humanity and resurrection from the dead partakes of all that is in Christ, and is exalted, always exalted, remains exalted with Jesus, and all things are under his authority because he/she is in Christ.
Glory!
