In the great hymn found in Philippians, we are told that Jesus humbled Himself, and was obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God exalted Him highly, and has given Him the name that is above every name. This is what we celebrate on Ascension Sunday—Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, and not one square inch of all creation is out from under His authority. Every tongue will confess and every knee will bow. He is the Lord, we confess it.
But we must take care not to read the last chapter only—we must also read and carefully ponder God’s account of the battle. The last chapter, Christ enthroned, Christ crowned, can and has been interpreted in a pagan manner, where we simply think of Christ as a King, and then fill that word up with all kinds of pagan assumptions.
He is King. He is the Lord. But why has God exalted Him to this position? He is the wounded king. He is the Lord who died. He is the one who allowed His face to be slapped and His beard to be pulled out by arrogant men who absolutely did not know what sin they were committing. At any moment, He could have summoned legions of angels, but these legions could not defeat paganism by transforming it. They could have subdued the rebellious, but to overthrow rebellion completely, God determined that a suffering Messiah was the only way.
And so, as we walk in imitation of Christ, however incompletely, however ineptly, we are walking in imitation of His suffering and His death. We know that He is the way to the Father, and when we follow this way, we are not exempted from anything that He took onto Himself. Servants are not greater than their Master.
Have you been confronted with indignities? Have you been insulted? Have you been taunted? Have you been lied about? Have you been betrayed? Do not embrace these things as a permanent state of affairs—remember, this is Ascension Sunday. But we must embrace them completely, following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus.
Do not think that any Christian receives a crown with no cross. Do not think that any Christian receives a cross with no crown. We are kings and priests on the earth, but when we look at Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, we know what kind of king. We know what kind of priest.