“For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6
After Jesus read from Isaiah 61 in His hometown synagogue, He did something astonishing. Luke 4:20 says, “Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.”
Notice, after He closed the book and handed it back to the priest, He sat down. Now sitting down may not sound significant at first, but it is evident by this verse that He sat down in such a location that everyone could see him, because it says, “And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.” Even if He had sat down on the front row, it is unlikely that “the eyes of all” could have been fixed on Him.
Now I’m not trying to add to scripture by any means, but it’s pretty easy to get the big picture as to what actually happened. Something shifted in the crowd. They all went from welcoming Jesus, to being infuriated with Him. In fact, they got so mad at him that Luke 4:29 says, “Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff.”
Just before this, Luke 4:22 says, “Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips.” What could have possibly made this crowd want to throw Him off the edge of the cliff? I believe it was two things; the first being where He sat down and second being what He said after He sat down.
Some scholars believe that Jesus may have sat down in an empty chair that was ceremonially reserved for the Messiah at the front of the synagogue in full view of all. And, once He sat down He said to the crowd, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” This is what outraged the religious crowd in His hometown. They didn’t mind Him being Joseph and Mary’s grown-up boy, but they couldn’t stand the idea of His claim of being the long-awaited Messiah. In the same way, you and I will always find resistance from the world, and even religious minded believers, the closer we get to the revelation that we are “seated with Christ in heavenly places.”
When Jesus returned from His mission on earth, He sat down at the right hand of the Father and Ephesians 2:16 says that we have been seated with Him. All power and authority were given to Him and He has given it to us, His Church. He wants us to walk in this authority, power, and abundance of life, which is exactly what Jesus said He came to give us in John 10:10.
Today you can take your seat and rest in the finished work of Jesus.