Must this be understood literally?

[Tamsulosin]

“Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father.”
First .God the Father is a spirit.
Second.The sentence conjures images of chairs, one next to the other.A spirit cannot be “seated”.God is an awesome might.We should not simplify God’s nature,putting it in human’s terms.Do you see thrones or chairs in the vast universe?
Third,in mass the priest says that the persons of the Holy Trinity are worshipped equally,for they are equal.So why would Christ the Lord be “the right hand”(if that is what is meant).
Please clarify all these for me,I will be very grateful

 

[ConstantineTG]

Seating at the right hand of a person of authority and/or presitge is a seat of prestige and honor. If a king asks you to sit at his right hand, it is meant to honor you in front of the guests.

Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father of course is figuratively, but the meaning is taken directly. Jesus sits at the place where the Father honors Him and for all to honor Him.

 

[spockrates]

“Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father.”
First .God the Father is a spirit.
Second.The sentence conjures images of chairs, one next to the other.A spirit cannot be “seated”.God is an awesome might.We should not simplify God’s nature,putting it in human’s terms.Do you see thrones or chairs in the vast universe?
Third,in mass the priest says that the persons of the Holy Trinity are worshipped equally,for they are equal.So why would Christ the Lord be “the right hand”(if that is what is meant).
Please clarify all these for me,I will be very grateful

Great questions! I’m surprised no one has answered, yet. I agree that the Son of God being seated at the right hand gives him a position of lesser authority than the Father God. The equality of the Son and the Father is more one of essence (they are equal in that they are both God) but not an equality of authority (the Son submits to the authority of the Father and obeys Him). They are equal, but not in every way.

 

[PiousTemplar]

Hello, I would probably say that the ‘Right Hand of the father’ does not mean of importance, but means that the Father and the Son are very close to each other (Relationship wise). They are almost one.

I would take the ‘He is seated at the right hand of the Father’ as a metaphor, of course in real life he doesnt have a 400 dollar lounge chair which he slams down next to his Father.

Hehehe, I hope I gave you a new point of view, anyone correct me if I am wrong. I’m looking forward to seeing more answers. Anyone know how to subscribe to a thread?

 

[bkayw]

Googlesearch: Catechism of the Catholic at the right hand

CCC

663 Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father: "By ‘the Father’s right hand’ we understand the glory and honor of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified."545

664 Being seated at the Father’s right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah’s kingdom, the fulfillment of the prophet Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of man: "To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."546 After this event the apostles became witnesses of the “kingdom [that] will have no end”.547

IN BRIEF

665 Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3).

666 Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.

667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Hello, I would probably say that the ‘Right Hand of the father’ does not mean of importance, but means that the Father and the Son are very close to each other (Relationship wise). They are almost one.

I would take the ‘He is seated at the right hand of the Father’ as a metaphor, of course in real life he doesnt have a 400 dollar lounge chair which he slams down next to his Father.

Hehehe, I hope I gave you a new point of view, anyone correct me if I am wrong. I’m looking forward to seeing more answers. Anyone know how to subscribe to a thread?

We should understand it in the context of what the term means during the time of Jesus. We shouldn’t try to interpret with our own personal interpretation.

Another prime example of the importance of sitting to the right of an authoritative figure is when James and John asked to sit at the left and right of Jesus Christ in heaven. Its not about closeness but about being in a position of honor. That is why Christ continued to tell the 12 after this request that the greatest of them will be the one who is servant to all. Its all about authority and prestiege.

 

[ckempston]

“Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father.”
First .God the Father is a spirit.
Second.The sentence conjures images of chairs, one next to the other.A spirit cannot be “seated”.God is an awesome might.We should not simplify God’s nature,putting it in human’s terms.Do you see thrones or chairs in the vast universe?
Third,in mass the priest says that the persons of the Holy Trinity are worshipped equally,for they are equal.So why would Christ the Lord be “the right hand”(if that is what is meant).
Please clarify all these for me,I will be very grateful

The answer, quite simply, is partly found in Luke 22. When Jesus made this claim, the Pharisees accused him of blasphemy, because being seated at the right hand indicated his equality with God. This is at least implied by the first question out of their mouths when Jesus says he’d be seated at the right hand - are you then God’s Son? Yes. It’s also a fulfillment of Psalm 110.

Certainly the answers about mediation and the Father now being accessible to man are reasonable, but Luke 22 and Psalm 110, give the Jewish perspective of what it means to be seated at the right hand.

 

[spockrates]

Googlesearch: Catechism of the Catholic at the right hand

CCC

663 Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father: "By ‘the Father’s right hand’ we understand the glory and honor of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified."545

664 Being seated at the Father’s right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah’s kingdom, the fulfillment of the prophet Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of man: "To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."546 After this event the apostles became witnesses of the “kingdom [that] will have no end”.547

IN BRIEF

665 Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3).

666 Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.

667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Fascinating! It seems, then that if Jesus is still in bodily form, and seated in that form in Heaven, then Heaven must be a material place. For how can a physical body exist outside of a physical place?

 

[CaptainPicard]

“Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father.”
First .God the Father is a spirit.
Second.The sentence conjures images of chairs, one next to the other.A spirit cannot be “seated”.God is an awesome might.We should not simplify God’s nature,putting it in human’s terms.Do you see thrones or chairs in the vast universe?

Certainly Jesus could be seated at the right hand of the Father. God is all powerful, so if the Trinity wanted to sit next to each other in chairs, They could.

But, often times, the scriptures employs these sorts of physical descriptors, not necessarily because they are to be taken literally, but to teach us spiritual truths with physical imagery that we, as physical beings, can understand.

In some cases, it might not be possible to know with 100% certainty how a certain passage is meant to be taken. Hopefully we’ll find out when we die!

 

[steve_b]

Fascinating! It seems, then that if Jesus is still in bodily form, and seated in that form in Heaven, then Heaven must be a material place. For how can a physical body exist outside of a physical place?

After the resurrection, Thomas who doubted, was asked by Jesus to probe His wounds to see that all that the apostles told Thomas was true… To which Thomas after probing the wounds with his hands, proclaims to Jesus, my Lord and my God. (a good passage to give to Mormons and JW’s BTW ) His resurrected body bears the marks of the crucifixion. This is how He ascended back to heaven.

 

[Tamsulosin]

So Jesus’s glorified body bearing the wounds of the crucifixion ascended to heaven.
Will our glorified bodies show our current scars?And what happen if we are cremated?
If we have glorified bodies will we need perennial “furniture” to rest on?
Being Catholic seemed easy for me for years and years,now I can’t help but analize
everyword.I wish this curiosity will go from me.
Also I am afraid that by posing these questions I may unintentionally create doubts in the readers.Christ probably will not like me then.The other alternative is not to ask anything
that I do not understand, and keep it to myself. Should I do that?

 

[ckempston]

So Jesus’s glorified body bearing the wounds of the crucifixion ascended to heaven.
Will our glorified bodies show our current scars?And what happen if we are cremated?
If we have glorified bodies will we need perennial “furniture” to rest on?
Being Catholic seemed easy for me for years and years,now I can’t help but analize
everyword.I wish this curiosity will go from me.
Also I am afraid that by posing these questions I may unintentionally create doubts in the readers.Christ probably will not like me then.The other alternative is not to ask anything
that I do not understand, and keep it to myself. Should I do that?

Take heart, if there were no reasons to doubt, Faith would be meaningless.