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.)
Jesus is inherently merciful and thus makes His mercy available to all. This mercy is a crucial beginning point in an eternal relationship with Him, for it is the withholding of the punishment that we all deserve. We need to come to Jesus for His mercy and salvation. Then, we must continue to value His mercy. This point is illustrated in Luke 18:9-14. Jesus spoke a “parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous” (verse 9). Rather than trust in Jesus and in His mercy, these men incorrectly trusted in their own merit. The “Pharisee” (a religious leader) lauded himself and denigrated the “publican” (verses 10-12). The “publican” (a much-disliked tax collector) “would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner’ “ (verse 13). The conclusion of Jesus is convicting: “I tell you, this man [the publican] went down to his house justified rather than the other [the Pharisee]: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (verse 14). The lesson for us is clear: we must humble ourselves and admit that we require Jesus’ constant mercy. To think otherwise is to be like “the Pharisee,” unjustified, “abased” by God, and just plain wrong.