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.)
In John 8:28-32, we find the heart of the Gospel message: Jesus sets His people free. “The truth shall make you free” (verse 32), but the sad reality is that the One Who called Himself the Truth (John 14:6) gave up His freedom to procure and ensure ours. When He speaks of being “lifted up” (verse 28), He is speaking prophetically of His sacrificial and substitutionary death on the Cross. This act of salvation actively reveals God’s abiding love: I John 3:16a says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us.” Two thoughts come immediately to mind. First, we do not have to guess what God’s love is, for He has shown us. As Romans 5:8 states, “God commendeth [demonstrates] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Second, we are not missing anything good in life – and in the life to come – by trusting in Jesus. Rather, we are experiencing the exhilarating freedom that Jesus offers – freedom from the bondage of fear (II Timothy 1:7), sin (Ephesians 2:1), Satan (I John 4:4), hell (Matthew 25:46), and death (I Corinthians 15:55)! If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).