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 concludes the pericope about His spiritual and eternal family with these words: “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35). Entrance into the everlasting family of God requires doing “the will of God.” This requirement is not based on specific works by us. Jesus had inaugurated His ministry with this clarion call: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Repentance means turning from anything other than Jesus – and that includes ourselves and any of our efforts – and turning to Jesus alone. We must trust (“believe”) in His completed work of salvation, not try to add to that work (Galatians 1:6-9). Our placement into the family of God is entirely His work. Jesus’ use of specific family relationships – both female and male – affirms that our inclusion in His family is secure and based upon His strong love.