Sadly, when many people think of Jesus they only understand his past humble
incarnation and neglect his current glorious exaltation. (pg. 149)
I found this to be very refreshing and helpful. To walk away understanding the full portrait the Word speaks of itself is to find the classic story of the King amongst His peasants . This romanticized tale that is common helps me now to appreciate the power of Christ in the present. It has been said thousands of times in thousands of ways, but the fact that God humbled Himself and took on flesh is a wonderful expression of True Love. But where I find the story missing its fullness, and where it rightly comes up short, is when we leave out that this King went back up to His crown and rules not at a distance but now with the sympathy that He now owns. We are not merely peasants who do not abide by his edicts, we are poor, broken peasants seeking compassion from the King. He has always had that compassion, He just had to visit us and thus demonstrate how we should live, in complete humility.
But then there is a little more. Driscoll goes further to tell us what Revelation shows about Jesus seated in glory, and power. I would rather you, the reader be the judge here. Revelation 19: 11-16 says (and please do read the whole chapter and context):
11Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one
sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and
makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many
diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13He is
clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The
Word of God. 14And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure,
were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with
which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He
will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the
Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings
and Lord of lords.
Driscoll dubs this Ultimate Fighter Jesus. Though not solely Jesus, remember King amongst the peasant Jesus, this is but His glorified position. This is a God who actually has an answer to evil, where he took care of our sins by way of humility on the cross, and by the ultimate defeat of all sorrows at this second coming event riding on a white horse. Driscoll reemphasises, "If we were to see Jesus today, we would see him in glory, not in humility." (p.150)
Jesus' portrait should thus grow for you as it has for me, if it had not been full already. The lesson is fantastic; The King gave up His power to show us how to trully live, then returned to power so that we shall not despair in our low position, when we are draining our pockets to feed the poor, when we are taking out our precious time to comfort the widow, when we give up pursuits of fame for that of humble living. He is in power, He will fight for us to the end.
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