I thought Jesus was sitting...

Throughout the Bible we read and come to an understanding that after Jesus ascended back into heaven he sat, and is currently sitting, at the right hand of God. There are many passages of scripture that portray this, including:

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, - Hebrews 1:3

...we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven - Hebrews 8:1

...you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power - Matthew 26:64

And there are many more: Mark 14:62; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Psalm 110:1

Since it is so clear that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God then why is it that when we get to Acts 7:55 He is standing? Stephen, after preaching his last sermon to group of hypocritical Sanhedrin, gets a glimpse into Heaven and sees Jesus "standing at the right hand of God."

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56 ESV)

I believe that Christ's position in Stephen's vision is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, this small observation has huge implications. Stephen was a man who spent the last months and weeks of his life preaching the resurrected Lord in a mighty way. Acts 6:8 even tells us that Stephen was full of grace and power and "was doing great wonders and signs among the people." It is obvious that Stephen was a man who cared about the salvation of those around him, was unashamed of the Gospel, and because he had been saved spent his days confessing Christ before men. This is why I believe Jesus was standing in Stephen's vision as opposed to sitting.

Stephen was living out the words of Jesus himself. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven" - Matthew 10:32. He had been confessing Christ before men with great power, passion, and perseverance. And seeing Jesus standing, the correct posture of a witness in Jewish culture, surely brought Stephen great hope and joy. "Stephen, condemned by an earthly court, appeals for vindication to a heavenly court, and his vindicator in that supreme court is Jesus, who stands at God's right hand as Stephen's advocate..." 2/

Through the story of Stephen we can find great joy that as we continue on in the faith and confess Christ among men, though we may be persecuted, stoned, and proven guilty, Christ "stands" for us and bears witness before the Father on our behalf.



2/F. F. Bruce, "Stephen's Defense," Commentary on the Book of Acts," p. 168