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Ephesians 1:15–23
“[God] raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:20b–21).
God declared in Genesis 12 that in Abraham “ ‘all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ” We saw earlier that this was a promise that a Redeemer would come someday from Abraham’s line. In Genesis 49, God spoke through Abraham’s grandson Jacob to say that the Redeemer would be among the descendants of Jacob’s son Judah. From Judah the rightful kings of Israel would come, and the Redeemer would be the greatest of these rulers.
How was this promise fulfilled? First, Scripture is clear that Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah. In fact, he was of the royal line of David, the greatest human king of Israel. Matthew makes this abundantly clear as he opens his gospel with a genealogy that proceeds from Abraham through David to Jesus. Luke makes the same point, noting that Joseph was of the house of David (1:27). Elsewhere, Scripture says, “It is evident that our Lord arose from Judah” (Heb. 7:14). And perhaps most significantly, John borrows the very language of Genesis 49 to refer to Christ as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” in Revelation 5:5. The Bible leaves no doubt that, in God’s providence, Jesus was of the tribe of Judah and was in the royal line.
Scripture is also clear that He was born to wield the scepter. At His birth, the angel Gabriel said, “ ‘The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David’ ” (Luke 1:32b). And Jesus Himself acknowledged His royalty before Pilate: “ ‘You say rightly that I am a king’ ” (John 18:37b), he told the Roman governor. However, we never see Him crowned and reigning during His lifetime. How, then, do we understand His kingship? We must remember that His kingship is far greater than that of an earthly ruler. This is why He told Pilate “ ‘My kingdom is not of this world’ ” (John 18:36). He hinted at the nature of His kingship when He told the Jewish Sanhedrin, “ ‘Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God’ ” (Luke 22:69). When He ascended to the Father, He went to His coronation as Lord over all things (Eph. 1:20–23). Far more than an earthly king who exercises temporal power over a small region, Jesus exercises all power over all creation. This Lion of Judah, the greatest ruler of the tribe of rulers, is King of kings and Lord of lords. And the scepter shall not depart from Judah, for He shall reign forever and ever.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The testimony of Scripture is that Jesus is Lord. He is reigning from heaven over all things, and His will is being done. This can be hard to believe as we watch events take place around us. But we must remember that we do not perfectly understand His ways. Commit yourself today to study Scripture’s teaching on Christ’s Lordship.
For Further Study
- John 13:13
- Acts 10:36
- 1 Corinthians 15:47
- Philippians 2:11