All Power

The following scripture came to mind the other day, and I have been pondering it ever since.  Jesus is speaking in Matthew 28:18 ... "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."

All power.  Not just some, not just enough to do the job, but all power.

I guess what I have really been thinking about are the two words ... all power.  Can you imagine what men would do if they really did have "all power" granted to them.  Think of it ... a man with no limits, having total control.  We need to thank God that He has never allowed that.  But that was said to have happened with Jesus.

He said all power, or to say it another way ... "All authority in heaven and in earth is given unto me."

When I start pondering on scripture I usually dig below the surface, so I looked up the original Greek these words were translated from into English.  The word all means ... "the whole of whatsoever."  Most of us can understand that okay.  All ... the whole thing, with nothing held back.

So I moved on to the word power and found that it means ... "in the sense of ability or privilege" ... such as, "delegated influence and authority."

In Heaven, as the Word, Jesus was God, therefore equal with God, and part of God.  But here on earth, after being born of Mary ... Jesus was a man.  So, how could He say that He had all power?  Many people believe Jesus emptied Himself of all that was God when He became man.  But I don't think so.

I believe that God ... cannot become less than He is ... ever.

I have no problem with the Apostle John saying that "the Word was made flesh" and that "the Word was God."  So as God in the flesh ... why wouldn't Jesus have all the same abilities that His Father had?  Jesus said in Luke 10:22 ... "All things are delivered to me of my Father ..." 
 
God gave Jesus, as man ... the influence, authority and ability to operate in, and use all of God's power on earth that His Father had in Heaven.

This was proven many times by the influence He had over the multitudes of people who followed Jesus and filled the houses wherever He went.  Here in this scripture, after feeding five thousand, the people would have taken Him by force and made Him a king according to John 6:15 ... "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone."
   
The phrase take by force means literally ... "to snatch away, or to carry off."  Those who use violent efforts, generally use force to get whatever they want for themselves. 

Men often attempt to dictate to God, and suppose that they understand what is right, better than He does.  The people Jesus had just fed "had it in their mind" to take Him, whether He wanted them to or not, and by force proclaim Him Messiah and King to deliver the nation of Israel from the Romans.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:12 ... "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Honestly, I have no idea what the true meaning of this verse is.  The true meaning.  I have read what others have said about it ... but not to my satisfaction.  It may have something to do with how the people pushed and shoved to hear both John the Baptist and Jesus when they spoke about sin, repentance and God's love.  But that is just conjecture on my part.

I think for today, when it says ... "the violent take it (the kingdom) by force" ... Jesus is telling us to be spiritual warriors with a mission because ... the battle is real.  The souls of your loved ones may be the very ones you must fight for.

Now then ... who's going to win this battle?  The one who has all power or the one who has already been defeated?

1st John 3:8 ... "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."  And in John 19:30, Jesus said ... "It is finished."  He did what He came to do.

In Colossians 2:15, Paul states that after Jesus had "... spoiled principalities and powers ... (He) made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

John 13:3, speaking of Jesus states, "... that the Father had given all things into his hands ..."  This scripture sounds a lot like my key verse, Matthew 28:18 that started me pondering just what having all power really means.

Paul is in agreement with John and puts it this way in Ephesians 1:17-22 by praying ...

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know ... what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us 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, 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 sum up Paul's extended declaration of Jesus, his last phrase does just that ... God has given Jesus the control over all things.  It's just that simple.  All things.

The following statement may be one of the best explanations describing exactly what this power was that Jesus was given.  It is from the old English Baptist biblical scholar John Gill.  He wrote ...

"This power ... which is to be understood of Jesus the man, (not as God) who had the same original power and authority over all creatures and things in heaven and earth as the Father has; but rather as mediator ... all power for doing miracles, and forgiving sins, which He had, and exercised before His death and resurrection ... and this power of His reached to things in heaven; He having the angels in heaven subject to Him, as ministering spirits to be sent forth by Him at His pleasure; and all the gifts of the Spirit to dispose of as He thought good; and to things on earth, not only to the saints, but to all flesh, to kings and princes, who rule and reign by Him;  and even to all the wicked of the world, who in some shape or another are made subservient to His kingdom and government.  And this power is not usurped power, but what is given Him, and what He has a right to exercise."

Hebrews 7:25 ... speaking of Jesus as our mediator (seated on the Mercy Seat at the right hand of God) states ... "He ever liveth to make intercession for the saints."

Jesus has been given all power both in heaven and in earth ... but what is most important to those of us who are alive today is ... the power to make intercession for us when needed, as our mediator between Almighty God and man.