The next step, or rather stage, on His way to His inheritance is that He is “crowned with glory and honor.” We have this expression in (indeed it is cited from) Psalm 8, but not the words “for the suffering of death.” The time had not come for the revelation (though indeed it is found in a later psalm, and it is implied in Psalm 2) that for the fulfillment of all that is promised there, the death of Christ was necessary, and that the whole system of things of which the psalm speaks, even on its earthly side, could only be established on the basis of resurrection (see Eph. 1:19-2319And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:19‑23); Phil. 3:20-2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21)). All this has now come out in the fullest light; and while waiting for its actual accomplishment, we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor at the right hand of God. Rejected, disallowed of men, but chosen of God and precious, He will sit there until His enemies are made His footstool; and then will be seen —
“Outstretched His wide dominion,
O’er river, sea, and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion,
Or dove’s light wing can soar.”
And what Christian is there who does not delight in the present exaltation of Christ, as well as in His forthcoming universal sway over all things in heaven and on earth? Surely it is the joy of all such to contemplate the crucified One as crowned with glory and honor — God’s delighted response to man’s rejection of His beloved Son. Wherever there is fervent love to Christ, the joy of the Apostle Peter will be understood in proclaiming again and again to the Jews, that “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (see Acts 2:36; 3:13; 4:10; 5:30, 3136Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)
13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. (Acts 3:13)
10Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (Acts 4:10)
30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:30‑31)).
For the assumption of His universal kingdom, Christ waits at the right hand of God. But in the meantime, in virtue of all things having been delivered into His hands, He exercises His power in blessing in several ways, some of which may be indicated. In the very first place in which our Lord refers to the subject, He gives a remarkable intimation of the use of His power in grace. Rejected by the cities where most of His mighty works had been done, the whole scope of the Father’s purpose opens out before His holy soul, and, in the midst of the deepening darkness which was settling down upon the chosen nation, He praises the Father because He had hid these things from the wise and prudent, and had revealed them unto babes. With an overflowing heart, if we may venture thus to speak, He added, “Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight.”
Thereupon He unfolds the fact that all things were delivered unto Him of His Father; and He further says, “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him” — words which, on the one hand, guard and declare forever the impenetrability of the mystery of divine Persons in their mutual relationships, and which make known, on the other hand, that the Father is revealed only in and through the Son. It is on this divine fact wherein the whole truth of Christianity consists (for the revelation is made on the foundation of the cross, the exaltation of Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit), that the Lord cries in this blessed invitation, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Before His omniscient vision rose up all the burdened souls of every age down to the end of time, and this invitation was but the expression of the yearning of His heart to give them rest. To everyone who responded to it, He would give the promised rest by the revelation of the Father — “That the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:2626And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26)). Thus the rest and blessedness of heaven may be received by those who are still upon the earth.
Akin to this, there is another activity in the same connection, of all things being given into His hands. We thus read, “Father,... glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee; as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him” (John 17:1-21These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. (John 17:1‑2)). Without going into any detail concerning this remarkable utterance, two things may yet be remarked. The first is that Jesus desired to be glorified only that He might glorify the Father. This was His absorbing object, whether down here on earth or at the right hand of God. He had glorified the Father while on the earth (vs. 4), and He would still do so when He Himself was glorified.
Morally, therefore (if we may thus speak), His life above is but the continuation of His life on earth. We may not pause to make the application; the question, however, may be put, whether this should not be also true of the saints of God. If so, what solemn searching of heart should be produced! Then, moreover, it will be seen that the Son will glorify the Father, exercising the authority which has been given Him over all flesh for this very purpose, by giving eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him. And He will do this by bringing them one by one into the enjoyment, through association with Himself, of the life which He enjoys in that region which is outside of and beyond death. And the form of this enjoyment is given in the following verse; it will be in the knowledge of the Father and the Son, in that holy circle where the Father’s affections and the Son’s affections are known and enjoyed because, as in association with Christ in His own relationship and His own place (John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)), we shall be as sons before the Father’s face.
There is also the ministry of the Spirit connected with all things being delivered into the hand of Christ. It is thus we understand the following scripture: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you” (John 16:13-1513Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16:13‑15)).
If the 8th Psalm refers, as we have seen it does, to the earthly side of the world to come, this scripture as plainly points to things in heaven, even though things on earth are not excluded. And what are the things implied in the expression, “All things that the Father hath are Mine”? They cannot be less than the “All things which are connected with the eternal counsels of the Father for the glory of His beloved Son.” In Ephesians, a scripture already cited, we see the full and public issue of all God’s ways in government, where we read that God has “made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of [for the administration of) “the fullness of times He might gather together in one [head up] all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Eph. 1:9-109Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:9‑10)).
Lower down also in the same chapter, the Apostle prays that the Ephesian believers might know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places [see how the Holy Spirit delights to glorify Christ] far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:19-2319And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:19‑23)).
We are given this marvelous passage in full, in which expressions are piled up one upon another to call our attention to the greatness of Christ in His unspeakable exaltation and supremacy, as a specimen of the ministry of the Spirit in unfolding the things of Christ, whether as relating to the present or the future. But we must not forget that this ministry is now carried on in our souls when room and liberty are given to the activity of an ungrieved Spirit. The revelation of His glory and of His supremacy is indeed found in the Scriptures, but it is much to be observed that until this is made good in us by the Holy Spirit, we are not in the light of the glory, whether in this age or the age to come. Nothing is clearer than that the Lord promised His disciples a continuous ministry of the Spirit in taking of His things, the things of the Father which are also His, and showing them unto them. We may therefore look for the same unceasing activity; and it is not too much to say that nothing would more delight the heart of Christ than that we should be finding our pleasure in apprehending His things, and in expatiating with joy upon His present and coming glories. If we are found thus engaged, it is very certain that we shall be delivered from this present evil world, and that, like Saul of Tarsus, we shall not be able to see for the glory of the light which has dawned upon our souls. Not that the dangers of this scene will be absent, only if our hearts are occupied with Christ and His glory we shall have no taste even for the brightest things which the god of this world can offer. Surely then it will be our constant prayer that our souls may be flooded with the light of the glory of Christ.