Where is Jesus now?

Written by Rev. Nicholas Davelaar
Published in the Courier of Russellville, Arkansas

Where are they now?

Most of us have no doubt wondered that about some people we’ve known. Or perhaps we’ve wondered that about some actors or athletes we once watched.

“He was such a good actor—I wonder what he’s up to now.”

“She could run like the wind—I wonder whatever became of her.”

“They were such great neighbors—I wonder where they’re living now, and how things are going for their family.”

Where are they now? It’s an interesting question, even if it has little impact on our everyday lives. That is, with one exception: Jesus.

Nearly two thousand years ago the Son of God became human, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. The Bible explains that he did so to deliver men, women, boys, and girls from sin, death, and the evil one, and in doing so also to reconcile them to God the Father.

That noted, where is he now? Many people—some of us included—may well profess to believe in him as our Savior, but where is he now?

The Bible tells us that after his resurrection Jesus ascended to heaven. According to Acts 1, Jesus was lifted up from earth to heaven before the eyes of his disciples, and one day he will return in much the same way. Until then, he sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for his people as no one else can (Rom 8:34; 1 Tim 2:5) and ruling over all things (Matt 28:18; Eph 1:20-23).

That’s where Jesus is now, as well as what he is doing.

Do you understand that, and live with that in mind?

Every day brings news that prompts us to despair. If it isn’t wars or rumors of wars, it’s violence of a similar nature or other stories that likewise lead us to wonder whether evil might be winning. Even local newspapers such as this one, which strive to bring out some of the good things going on in the area, yet contain plenty of stories that point to the profound sickness of this world and the inhabitants thereof.

Would that we all lived with the hope that comes from knowing where Jesus is now! In this life we may well never understand why certain things have taken place or are taking place. We may rest, however, knowing where Jesus is now, and what he is doing.

That hope, however, challenges as much as it comforts. In particular, given where Jesus is, are you willing to bend the knee before him today?

The playwright George Bernard Shaw was once asked what generation he would prefer to live in if he could choose. The witty Irishman replied, “The age of Napoleon, because then there was only one man who thought he was Napoleon.”

To this day many people think and act as if they are kings, or as if they will be soon. Even some professing Christians.

Would that all people understood where Jesus is now, and acted like it!

Think about that.

For further study, read Phil 2:5-11