“He Sat Down” an Ascension Message

“Jesus sat down at the right hand of God.”

We hear those words much in the church, and well we do because they are in the Bible.

“Jesus sat down at the right hand of God.”

Every single Sunday, congregations, the world over, recite words very similar to those. In The Nicene Creed, we confess, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.“ In The Apostles’ Creed, we similarly proclaim, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.”

“Jesus sat down at the right hand of God.”

We hear it, we read it, we confess it… But in good Lutheran fashion, we must ask, “What does this mean?”

In the creeds, those phrases are preceded by what we would rightly consider to be some of the most important and most significant statements ever written—timeless truths for us to believe, teach, and confess—that the sinless Son of God became a man, born of a woman, suffered and was crucified, died and was buried, rose and ascended.

I think we can all agree that those statements inescapably belong there—they are rock solid truths upon which our faith and hope are founded. But what is the significance of Jesus sitting down at the right hand of the Father? Why is the fact that Jesus took a seat something so important that is has been an essential part of Christian belief and confession for thousands of years?

About a month ago, I caught the end of a TV sports news segment about NCAA basketball coaches and the fact that many of them never sit down during their games. The segment showed footage of several coaches so wrapped up in games that they were not only not sitting down, but they were actually standing out on the court, while the game was in progress. The newscaster posed the question, “Why do they even have seats for the head coaches?” The segment ended with game footage showing one particular coach running up and down the sideline, all game long, until he finally collapsed in his chair, right after his team hit a buzzer-beater to win the game.

Only when victory was won and his work clearly done did he sit down…

As I watched that coach finally sit down it reminded me of a sermon I had heard preached by Brain Chapell at Liberate 2013, in which he described the significance of what it means that Jesus sat down.

(The following is a transcribed and condensed portion of Brian Chapell’s message Grace in Christian Growth. If you would rather watch than read, the portion transcribed below begins at 13:35.)

In Hebrews chapter 10:11, the writer of Hebrews is describing the ministry of Jesus Christ compared to the Old Testament priests. And this is what the writer Hebrews says in Hebrew 10:11 in this comparison that he is making. “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he (did what) sat down at the right hand of God. (ESV)

In the Old Testament temple, if you go through the pages of the Old Testament, you will find many descriptions of what the temple looked like. We know about the seven-branched candlestick. We know about the altar that held the showbread. We know about the dimensions of the altar on which the animals were sacrificed. We know the composition of the walls of the temple. We even know what the tassels on the robe of the priest were made of and what they were shaped like. I mean infinite details about all the accouterments and the furniture in the Old Testament temple.

But there is one article of furniture that is never described in the Old Testament as appearing in the house of God. What was it? What was that one article of furniture that is never described in the Old Testament in the temple?  No what..?

(Answer from the audience “No chair”) No chair… Why…?

Because day after day, every priest stands to perform his religious duty of offering sacrifices to make the atonement for the sins of the people [to make them] right with God. With what little you may recall about the Old Testament sacrifice system, think about why the priest had to keep standing.

Do you remember The Passover sacrifice that happened once a year? Do you remember how all of the families would offer that sacrificial lamb and then there would be that sacrificial meal? I mean have you actually thought about what that would mean? 

Some of you may have been in cultures where sacrifices still occur. I have been in those places. You can still go to cities where on one particular day hundreds of thousands of families will sacrifice animals.

The offal begins to fill the ditches of the city. The blood begins to run down the streets. The stench fills the air. It’s everywhere. And in Israel, this happened year after year, year after year, for a thousand years, plus more. And that was just one sacrifice that happened once a year. That wasn’t the only sacrifice.

Do you remember that at the temple there were monthly sacrifices too—where every new moon there was another sacrifice to be made— for the sins of the people? And it wasn’t just during months, there were seasonal sacrifices too. For firstlings and first-fruits…  And in the spring and in the fall…And it wasn’t just seasonally, and it wasn’t just monthly, there were Sabbath sacrifices that had to be made. And by the way, it wasn’t just every week, but it was every day, as in the morning and evening sacrifices had to be made. And it wasn’t just for the sins of the people in general, but if you knew of sin in your life, you had to bring sacrifices personally. And by the way, if you couldn’t remember certain sins you had to bring other sacrifices, just in case you had forgotten certain things.

Day after day… Week after week… Month after month… Season after season… Year after year… For a thousand years plus more…The blood flowed…The offal piled up…The smoke went to the heavens…

Until one day… A lamb… went to a hill called Calvary… and gave his life… upon a cross…

And the veil that was in the temple, dividing sinful man from Holy God was ripped from top to bottom.  And suddenly we had access to the holiness and the grace of God. And the high priest sat… DOWN!

And it was done… And it was finished…! We were made right with God by one sacrifice for all—and all time.

And we could rest from saying, “What more do I have to do? What else do I have to do? How many times? How many years? How much more blood?”

He said, “It’s done. It is finished. It’s over. You have been raised with Christ, who is at the right hand of God. And he is sitting down, and so should you.”

You can rest now from saying, “When will God be satisfied?” because you have placed your faith in the one who has united you to himself by his grace, and he sits at the right hand of God, and so do you because you’re united to him. That’s your privilege! It’s your victory! It’s his affection for you.

(End of transcription)

Only when victory was won and his work of atonement clearly done did Jesus sit down…

If you doubt that God loves you… If you doubt that all your sins are forgiven… If you believe that a wretched sinner like you couldn’t stand before a holy God and be anything but damned, God the Father pleads to you to look to his right and see that his Son—the last and greatest high priest… Has sat down.

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:11-14 NIV)

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About Brian Chapell:

Bryan Chapell, former Chancellor of Covenant Seminary in St. Louis and recently appointed Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Knox Theological Seminary, opened LIBERATE 2013 with a powerful talk on grace and Christian growth.