No one and nothing can stand against Jesus, our resurrected king!

By Dean Collins

Eventually we all learn that none of us has the power to hold everything together. However, it takes some of us longer than others to learn this important lesson. I suppose that sometimes our intentions are good when we try to hold it all together. We may very well want to be the best owner, leader, church member, parent, grandparent, mentor and more, but then we realize that we can’t actually solve it all, fix it all, heal it all, or do it all for someone else, let alone for ourselves. Part of understanding the gospel is understanding that we are broken and only God can restore us.

 Sometimes though, we have positions of authority or influence, and we try desperately to hold it together to protect our status, rank, wealth, or power. We cannot bear the thought of losing or slipping and not being in charge or seen to be in control. In these times, we often see people who will do anything to keep from losing power. Some will lie, cheat, and do whatever to destroy another person if it means that personal power, wealth, and ego are protected.

 This is nothing new and certainly there are countless examples of the wise and the foolish in scripture. In the gospels we see the constant power struggle of the religious leaders as they interacted with Jesus. When we get to the final two sections of Matthew 28, we find the guards turning to the chief priests in desperation to save themselves from harm, while simultaneously giving the leaders a way to save face with their constituents.

 The women who had seen the empty tomb and the resurrected Jesus were told to go and tell the other disciples. When they left on their assignment, the guards who had been responsible for protecting the entrance of the tomb realized they had a problem. Jesus was no longer in the tomb and the story of the resurrection would soon spread. And it was a true story. Jesus did come back to life, never to die again.

When the guards got to the chief priests, they had a meeting with the elders and leaders and considered what they would do. Keep in mind that they knew Jesus had come back to life, yet they came up with a plan to spread a lie that the disciples had stolen his body in the night while the guards slept. But for this lie to work, someone had to be paid off nicely. The religious leaders had presided over taking an innocent person’s life. Now they broke another commandment by telling a lie and topped it off by paying hush money. Their desire to protect their power and control led them to violate their scriptures and destroy their character.

 But history has proven they couldn’t hold their lies, nor their power, together. And neither could Rome in the end. The resurrected King is the only one who can hold all things together. Paul tells us as much in the first chapter of Colossians. Paul became an unlikely choice to be an apostle and the missionary who would spread the gospel across the known world in his day. He once thought he had power and control, and he leveraged it with a mighty but cruel hand. But Saul, as he was called then, could not hold it together. In the presence of Jesus his world fell apart, and he was invited into the kingdom of God, not as a ruler but as a servant who was committed to following his Lord and king wherever and however he was led by the Spirit of God. Here are Paul’s words from Colossians 1:

 “All things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

 Those who had crucified Christ hoping to maintain their status failed. Paul tried to maintain his role and status and he failed. No one and nothing can stand against Jesus, our resurrected king! It is not failure when we surrender our fantasy of control. It is freedom to walk in the power of the living Lord and be led by his Spirit. When we do that, we will experience the peace that passes all understanding and never have to fear what comes our way. Jesus reigns supreme and in the end, every knee will bow and declare he is Lord.

 Father, forgive us when we cling to our fantasy of control and power. Today we surrender to you and ask that you renew our minds and hearts and use us for your kingdom purposes. Holy Spirit, lead us where we are to serve obediently today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Matthew 28:11-20; Colossians 1:15-23 ESV

Photo by Vaishakh pillai on Unsplash
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.