What does Jesus See in the Mirror?

Connection and Tension

‌Christ is risen!

This is the last Sunday of Easter, but rather than looking at the Resurrection, I want us to look at another event. In fact, I think it is the most ignored, neglected, and misunderstood event in Jesus’ entire ministry. I’m talking about the Ascension - which technically was last Thursday. The Ascension celebrates Jesus ascending to the right hand of the Father, above all rule and reign. To say it another way, the Ascension is the enthronement of Jesus as King.

Did anyone happen to watch the coronation of King Charles a couple of weeks ago? If you did, you saw a lot of pomp and circumstance. But if you know what to look for, the coronation ceremony actually follows the story of Jesus becoming king. The English monarchy coronation has five steps: the presentation, an oath, anointing, the investiture (where he gets his royal scepter and crown as he sits on the coronation chair), and the enthronement and homage. They lifted this right off the pages of Scripture.

Jesus was presented at the Temple when he was eight days old, recognized by the old prophets Zechariah and Anna.

He declared his oath at his first sermon in Capernaum - the Spirit of the Lord is upon me...

He was anointed by Mary of Bethany before his arrest and trial.

He was invested with a reed for a scepter, thorns for a crown, on the cross as a coronation chair.

But all of this is leading up to what it was really all about, the enthronement. Here is where God’s promise came true when he said through the Psalmist, Psalm 110:1 “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” The redemption that Jesus accomplished at the Cross is not complete until he sits enthroned as King of kings, because only as King can he bestow all the blessings that he accomplished on our behalf. The Ascension is the exclamation point at the end of God’s redemption story!

So, now for the weird question that came to me this week: as the risen and ascended Lord, what does Jesus see when he looks in a mirror? I’m assuming that Jesus could get his hands on one if he wanted. This may seem like a pointless question, but how we answer it has incredible importance for us.

A. W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Why? Because what you believe about God will ultimately determine what you believe about yourself. Who you think God is will shape who you think you are. It’s not only that Jesus ascended but how he ascended that is significant. The Ascension says something about the importance of our physicality - the physical stuff we’re made of. Our bodies are not just meat suits that we can’t wait to be free of. The good news of the Ascension is that When Jesus looks in the mirror, he sees a King who is redeeming who and what you see in the mirror.

‌Text and Participation

Luke 24:44-53

What does the ascended Jesus see in the mirror?

A human

First, Jesus sees a human being. I was tempted to begin with “God”, which is absolutely true. But I don’t think this is the part of his identity we tend to forget. But I do think we often forget the human part of his identity.

Jesus is one of us. He became fully human at his birth, just like us in every way except for sin; and he remains one of us as he ascends. It is a human being that now reigns at the right hand of God over the cosmos. The apostle Paul writes, 1 Cor. 15:21 “For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;” Since it was by a human that brought the curse of sin into the world, by a human the curse has been reversed.

And so Jesus serves as the perfect mediator and advocate for humanity before the Father - as one of us. He doesn’t advocate in the sense of having to talk the Father into doing something for us he is disinclined to do, or needing to talk the Father out of doing something too us. Rather, as our mediator and advocate he defends us against the accuser, the satan. This enemy who accuses you to the Father, and to yourself. Who is quick to point out every mistake you’ve ever made, who continually drudges up the past, who repeats in your ear every belittling, mocking, hate-filled identity anyone has every spoken over you. Jesus is the one who sits at the right hand of God declaring that the charges being leveled against you are dropped. That they are false. When Jesus looks in the mirror he sees our human advocate.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a failure, a reject, a mistake? Jesus, the King of heaven and earth, the one who is like you, declares from the throne that you are beloved, that you are far more than your worst mistakes, and that you have surpassing worth in his eyes. Jesus sees someone who was worth dying for. Jesus restores the dignity your human-ness. Jesus sets you free to see in the mirror the human that God always intended you to become.

A body

When Jesus looks in the mirror he sees a body. It is so important that we understand that when Jesus took on human flesh at his birth, he did not jettison it in his Ascension. 

I think we often tend to think of Jesus in his glorified state as somehow “other” to what we are. That in the ascension he reverted back to the way he was before his incarnation.  This is actually an ancient heresy called Gnosticism. It basically said that that which is spirit is good, and that which is material is evil. But this is contrary to what God declared when he made us and the world, calling it all “good”. Jesus was not ashamed to share our humanity and take upon himself our flesh. And he is still flesh and blood; glorified - but still flesh and blood. In fact, he still has a body that carries the beautiful scars of our redemption. We will see and marvel over those scars one day. When Jesus looks in a mirror he sees a body.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? The Ascension, along with the Incarnation, say something profound about our bodies. It is so easy to criticize our body: if only I was taller, thinner, more athletic, lighter, darker, stronger, faster. We live in a time when people are shamed because of how they look. Culture holds up for us the model of the ideal male or female body shape - one that virtually none of us can achieve. We’ve all been shaped by the ideal of the Barbie and Ken doll. An impossible, and often unhealthy goal. Yes, we are called to be good stewards of our bodies, taking care of them as good gifts from the Father. But there is no place for shame about our looks or build. This culture-shame, which turns into self-shame and self-hate, is demonic and is an attack against the image of God - the imago dei - in you. Jesus restores you to the dignity of being God’s image bearer, whatever our shape or size. The Ascension of Jesus gives us freedom to love the body we see in the mirror.

A man

Jesus sees a human. Jesus sees a body. But when he looks in a mirror he also sees a man. Someone who is male. Jesus doesn’t come among us as a generic human being; he comes as we do, with things that make him distinct. This includes his male-ness, his Jewish-ness, his Middle Eastern ethnicity. There are things that are particular to Jesus, just like with you.

There is so much confusion in our world today regarding gender. There is the more current issue of gender fluidity. But before this there was still much angst regarding gender, especially if you are female. The ancient Greeks believed that females were just underdeveloped males, and women have been fighting this perception ever since. They have had to battle to be seen as having worth beyond pleasuring men and producing children.

I want to share some good news: Jesus ascended with all his male “bits”. That Jesus ascended as a male does not imply some kind of superiority of males. Rather, what it implies is that our own particularities are also important. To have different anatomy, skin tone, and body shapes are not inferiorities. The ascension tells us that the uniqueness of our gender will remain, because God decided that it would take both genders to image him properly in this world AND the world to come. When Jesus looks in a mirror, he sees a Middle Eastern man, with whatever body shape and skin tone that go with that.

What do you see in the mirror? Your particularities, including your gender, color, shape, is the Father’s gift to you. They are not something to despise, try to hide, or get rid of. Even though the world may belittle some aspect of you, the Lord raises that up in his ascension. The path to bitterness and resentment begins with judging yourself on what you are not, instead of appreciating the unique and beautiful way that God made you. God’s love for you is not centered around some idealized Barbie and Ken kind of humanity. It is real love for real people: male or female, tall or short, skinny or wide, Jew or Gentile, Middle Eastern, African, European, Asian, and American. His love is not just a love for souls, but for bodies, extending all the way to the color and shape of our fingers and toes and our “bits”. The Ascension shows us a love that reached to us in our specifics, and enables us to love others in theirs.

Gospel and Invitation

I’ll close with one final thing Jesus sees in the mirror. He sees a King. He sees the one with all authority in heaven and on earth, who makes us this beautiful promise in the book of Revelation: Rev 21:5 “And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” The ascension of Jesus is not about a missing Lord; it is about a Lord who now reigns supreme and is shaping everything according to his perfect will.

There is so much that is broken in this life. Families, marriages, health, friendships, vocations, identities, bodies. The promise of the Ascension is that Jesus is at work bringing healing and restoration to every broken part. “All things new” mean all things, down to the most intimate parts of ourselves. Even when we can’t see him, he is at work restoring creation.

Jesus was coronated on the cross, taking the death consequence of your sin. He rose on the third day, showing that he was victorious over death and hell. Now he reigns as King giving new life to all who ask of him. This morning we saw the past get wiped away and a new life begin for Zaden and Mark. If you have never invited Jesus to do that for you, would you please do that today? Surrender to this King and let him begin a renewal in your life. If you’d like to take this step or find our more, please see me after the service or reach out to me using the link on the screen (next steps slide).

I’ll close with Paul’s hymn to our King from his letter to the Philippians:

Phil 2:5-11 “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Here is your king who is redeeming who and what you see in the mirror.