Whatcha Doing, Jesus?

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

Easy to Remember

When we look at Jesus in the New Testament, we begin with his birth, and we celebrate Christmas. Then, we really hear nothing more from Jesus—nothing of His childhood, His schooling, or His friends. We hear nothing until the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 2:41-52, Luke tells us of the boy Jesus in the temple, where everyone is amazed at his understanding of scripture and God. Then we hear or see nothing from Jesus again for about 11 years of His Life. Next, we follow Jesus through the Gospels that tell of his adult life at the beginning of His ministry.

We know how and why Jesus died. We followed Him through the Passion and the crucifixion. We see the stone rolled away from the tomb and Jesus rise in a bodily resurrection. We also understand his ascension. But then we don’t hear anything more except for writings about Jesus in the Epistles and Revelation.

What is Jesus up to now?

So, what is Jesus doing now? Jesus is Prophet, Priest, and King. He continues His ministry and reigns as our heavenly King. How? I mean, what exactly is Jesus doing? If we look at the Westminster Catechisms, we get an explanation. While the Larger Catechism and Shorter Catechism provide the answers, I prefer the Shorter Catechism questions 23 through 26.

Q. 23. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer? A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.

Q. 24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.

Q. 25. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, reconcile us to God, and make continual intercession for us.

Q. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king? A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.

What Does That Mean?

What does this mean for us as Christians? The first thing it means is that we now fall under the protectorate of Christ. We have become His children, and he holds us to Him, watching over and protecting us. We have submitted to Christ as our Savior and, along with that, as our Lord. You can’t have half a Jesus; when you submit to Him, you are also submitting to His rule. If we trust in Jesus, the Spirit works inside of us. Look at Pentecost, where Peter preached the Word and 3000 received the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works inside us where He discovers our hidden sins and rebellion. The deeper our relationship becomes, the wider the rule of Christ in our life. Our relationship with Christ is no different than any other relationship. All relationships we have, spouse, family, child, friend, all are growing or should be. We are His children; as we grow, we will misbehave and perhaps not always appreciate Christ for who He is and what He does. As a Christian, Jesus will always be your Lord. Of this, we have assurances.

Yet there will always be sin in us. Because of our sinful nature, Christ as King and His ministry will constantly challenge us. Conversely, it is also comforting because He always acts in our defense. This society we live in is continually pushing us to conform. We are labeled and portrayed as evil. Satan constantly attempts to drive us away from Christ. We become convicted by the Spirit and may feel horrible. Almost controlled by the world and frozen in sin. Sometimes we may even feel lost entirely, held captive by Satan. Jesus’ protection over us is why we must remember we are His children. We are already living in the kingdom of Christ. Jesus has separated us from the world, and although we struggle, Jesus is there. He is already our promised King and reigns over us. Christ has vowed to defeat our enemies. He is alive and sits at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus will continue to reign until the world’s evil becomes his footstool.

If you need help remembering these things, take the time to read and meditate on Colossians 3. Paul will help you remember why we are to focus on what is above us and not with us.

Give Thanks!

Be thankful Jesus died, rose, and ascended to the Father. Remember Pentecost that we just celebrated and the work of the Holy Spirit. Every day, thank God for sending his Son to us, freeing us, and rejoining us.

May you be blessed in the name above every other name, Jesus Christ. Peace.