21- Christ's sitting down at the right hand of the Father on high

 

St-Takla.org Image: Christ Jesus the King, Pantocrator. صورة في موقع الأنبا تكلا: الملك يسوع المسيح، الضابط الكل - البانتوكراتور.

The Divine Inspiration recorded this truth in many situations, such as:

(a) The words of the Lord to the Sanhedrin during His trial: "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26:64).

(b) The words of St. Stephen at his martyrdom: "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" (Acts. 7:56)

(c) The words of St. Mark the Evangelist about the Ascension: "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God' (Mk. 16:19).

(d) The words of St. Paul the Apostle about the Lord Jesus Christ: "When He had by Himsetf purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3).

(e) The words of St. Paul when he explained how Christ was greater than the angels: "But to which of the angels has He ever said: 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool'?" (Heb. 1: 13) St. Paul took these words from Psalm 110, verse 1, which says: "The Lord said to My Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.' "

What can be understood from Christ's sitting at the right hand of the Father? The Father has no right and has no left because He is Infinite and He fills all things. There is no vacuum at His right side for another to sit there. So what is the meaning of sitting at His right side? The word 'right' is a symbol of power and of righteousness and of majesty. This symbolism is similar to the Lord's expressions 'your right eye' and 'your right hand' in (Matt. 5:29,30), and we have discussed this issue before here on st-takla.org in other pages. The right hand of the Father means the power of the Father, the righteousness of the Father and the majesty of the Father. That is why it was once said that the Son sat at the right hand of the Power and at another that He sat at the right hand of the Majesty. The word 'sat' here means remained.

This means that the Son who, in emptying Himself, appeared weak in front of you; was slapped on the face, scourged and crucified, by His ascension entered into His power and you will not see Him any more in weakness. And at His Second Coming, He will come on the clouds in His glory, surrounded by all the holy angels (Matt. 25:31), because at His Second Coming He will come with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30).

Also, the Son who stood in front of you as a sinner and criminal, and who stood before the Father carrying all the sins of the world, will sit at the right hand of His Father, that is, in His righteousness, and nobody can dare condemn Him any more.

The expression "sitting at the right hand of the Power" means that the stage of emptying Himself has ended and that the Son entered into His glory. That is why it is said that at His Second Coming, He will come,, in His own glory, and His Father's (Lk. 9:26), and it is also said: "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels" (Matt. 16:27). This glory is the sitting at the right hand of the Father.

Christ's Relation with the Father

Divinity of Christ Books by H. H. Pope Shenouda III

Christ is Beyond Time