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.)
Another who received an apostolic call from Jesus is “Thomas” (Mark 3:18). He is best known as “Doubting” Thomas, almost to the point that it seems to be his actual name. His refusal to believe in the resurrection of Jesus until he had seen Him has earned him his derogatory moniker (John 20:24-29). However, his evidentiary approach to faith is a good reminder that Christianity is based on historical facts. Moreover, Thomas exhibited admirable traits. For example, he expected to be killed in Jerusalem with Jesus and went there anyway: “Then said Thomas, [who] is called Didymus [twin – some think he might have been Matthew’s twin brother], unto his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him’” (John 11:16). I would like to be able to doubt that well. Later, when Jesus was teaching about heaven (John 14:1-4), Thomas asked in verse 5: “Lord, we know not whither [where] Thou goest; and how can we know the way?” He did not pretend to understand; he was not guilty of what is today called the “impostor syndrome.” Rather, he asked the questions that others undoubtedly also had. Jesus’ response is one of the foundational statements of our faith: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (verse 6). There was more to Thomas than doubt. By the grace of God, there is more to us than our worst points, as well.