It is an affirmation of the divinity of Christ our Lord and Saviour. He declares as the resurrected Lord that he has the power of the Godhead, equal with the Father, equal with the Spirit.
It is a statement that makes clear that his period of voluntary submission to the Father is over. He has returned to the state that he enjoyed before: total oneness with the Father, and free exercise of divine power. For a season he suffered humiliation; he lowered himself; he came into this world. He never ceased to be God, but he became man too, the God man. Without ceasing to be divine, he laid aside the exercise and the full experience of his heavenly glory. And he submitted to the law to live a perfect life as a man, to be our worthy representative, so that he could earn heaven for us by his righteousness, and he lived under fierce and terrible provocation from the devil and his hosts. Then came the final act of obedience, suffering and dying on Calvary's cross to bear personally the punishment, the eternal punishment due to us for our sins. By his life of perfection he deserved heaven for us. By his suffering and death, he cancelled and did away with the punishment of sin which was due to us. But now his period of subjection to the law, subjection to be obedient to his Father's will, is over. So he is able to say, ‘All power is given unto me’, and he goes back to his heavenly glory.
It is an indication of his special responsibility for matters on earth. To the Son of God, to the eternal second person of the Godhead, is given the Lordship and responsibility of earth, the redeemed: the saving of the lost, the gathering in of his people, and the controlling of all forces against them, the limiting of all hostility against them, bringing them safely to the point where they are gathered into eternity. It is a towering word of assurance to the disciples, still somewhat frightened, some of them still hardly able to take in that he is risen from the dead.
How great his power is! It is a creating power. We can create in our use of the world but only from preexisting material. And only he can destroy; we can only destroy to a limited extent; we cannot obliterate. He can take us in a wretched condition and recreate us morally. Those that you and I might give up on, he can create anew. He can recreate the scattered remnants of the physical body, as he will at the resurrection. He alone has self-sustaining power. He never tires or runs down. His actions cost him nothing, and do not reduce his power in any way. He needs no nourishment or fuel. He imparts power to all others and upholds this universe in existence – every atom – and understands all mysteries. How much more we should lean on him! Such limited power as we have is not independent or free. We may be obliged to do certain things, because, for example, we have a family to support. Other things we may wish to do, but we lack power or have no right to do them.
He needs no election to place him in power; it is his unquestioned right. He is above all power and beyond all power – he gives power to whom he will. He throws down empires or raises them up as he pleases. It is an absolute power and perfectly free. No one can resist him – not in the events of history, nor in matters of salvation. All the obstacles that unbelieving souls put up cannot resist his gracious influence.
His power is always amazing. He can awaken nations. There have been times when this nation has been bound in darkness, and through the word of preachers he has stirred the land. What semblance of morality we have in our land today comes from the past. The saved soul has a new outlook; the focus has been removed from self.
It is a controlled power. We see turmoil in a state, and a coup takes place. The people are largely sympathetic, but they hold their breath. Will it spill over into carnage? Often the violence of men goes wild and cannot be stopped. But God’s power is under control; it is not like a forest fire.
It is unimpeachable power. You cannot say his power is unkind, meting out painful things unnecessarily. Human power corrupts. God’s power is ever open to the faintest plea. He keeps this world in existence only because his power has a moral objective. Christ came to die in order to redeem his people. Christ power is constructive. He raises the dead who would die again. Is that constructive? Yes, because there is a lesson in the miracle – a lesson which does untold good to lost souls.