Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
The earthly life of Jesus demonstrates that He understands how difficult our lives can be. In Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus “saw the multitudes.” In general, these people were interested in Him but were not ready to commit to Him. They, like many of us, struggled with uncertainty, including the fear of the future and of the unknown. Jesus understands how hard it is to see clearly through the fears and hardships of life. “He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted [were distressed and downcast (NAS) or harassed and helpless (NIV)] and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus does not give up on wayward sheep. He knows, as we read yesterday in Isaiah 53:6, that “all we like sheep have gone astray.” I Peter 2:25 reminds us that “ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and bishop of your souls.” Always look on both sides of the word “but” when reading Scripture, and see what a transformation Jesus makes! The compassion of Jesus is more than a feeling; it is an action on our behalf. Even in our bleating fears and failures, Jesus is preparing us for something better, now and forever. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Chief Shepherd (I Peter 5:4), and the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20). He will take care of all of His sheep.