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 Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) speaks of two forceful forthtellers during the Tribulation time: “And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth” (verse 3). Chronologically, this occurs in the first half of the Tribulation, before “the Gentiles…tread under foot forty and two months” the city of Jerusalem (verse 2). Of note is their distinctive garb of “sackcloth,” a coarse, uncomfortable cloth woven from the hair of goats or camels. It was associated with mourning for sin and the need for repentance. For example, the Old Testament prophet Joel commanded, “Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God…Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come” (Joel 1:13, 15). The ministry of John the Baptist also comes to mind. His message was direct “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and his “raiment of camel’s hair” symbolized that message (Matthew 3:2, 4). Our Lord is ever active in gaining our attention; this unusual clothing of the prophets is one more way that God draws us to their words – ultimately, to His words.