33. A Beneficial Death

Ephesians 4:7-10 links the grace given to each believer with Christ’s descent and ascent. Paul quotes Psalm 68:18, then reflects on the language of ascending and descending. The passage does not stop at Christ’s victory: grace is given to each person, and the risen Christ fills all things. His triumph becomes a source of gifts for his people, who are meant to grow into a united body.

Read Psalm 68:18 beside Ephesians 4:8. Notice the difference Paul’s wording draws attention to: the psalm speaks of receiving gifts, while Ephesians describes Christ as giving gifts. Rather than smoothing the difference away, ask what Paul is doing in his use of the psalm. In this passage, he connects Christ’s ascent with the gifts that equip the church. The focus is not a puzzle solved by one clever answer; it is the risen Christ sharing grace with his people.

Heiser also connects the cross to spiritual victory. Psalm 22 describes fierce enemies using the image of strong bulls from Bashan surrounding the sufferer. Heiser reads that imagery alongside the crucifixion and the book’s larger picture of hostile powers. The connection directs attention to the way Scripture can use ancient images of threat when speaking about suffering and evil. Psalm 22 itself does not name every power behind the suffering, so be careful not to claim more than the text says. The New Testament proclaims that Christ’s death and resurrection defeat hostile powers; the cross is not a sign that evil has won.

That victory does not make the pain of the cross less real. Jesus suffers, and the world’s violence is exposed there. Yet Ephesians speaks of the one who descended also ascending above the heavens. The movement holds suffering and exaltation together. Christ’s authority is not a distant idea: he gives grace to people who need help living faithfully now.

Heiser further relates New Testament language about Jesus to Old Testament passages that speak of Yahweh in ways Christians have used to understand the Father and the Son. This is a large claim about how the Bible speaks of God. Read the particular passages closely and let them carry their own meaning; this day’s central practice is simpler: notice the cross, the ascent, and the grace Christ gives. He is not only victorious for himself. His gifts equip a community to serve.

Ask what gift or ability you have received that could strengthen someone else. It need not be dramatic. A steady word, a practical skill, or patient attention can become service when offered with care. The cross tells the truth about suffering; the resurrection tells the truth about Christ’s rule. Together they give a reason to offer your life and gifts without pretending that evil is harmless or final.