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.)
I have often said that we need to avoid overrating our affection. I truly love my youthful trophy wife, but I do not believe that I care for her more than other husbands care for their wives. I love my children and grandchildren dearly and desire only the best for them; other parents and grandparents are the same all over the world. The Syrian lady in Mark 7:25-26 loved her daughter with an unconditional love: “For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of Him, and came and fell at His feet: the woman was a Greek [Gentile], a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought Him that He would cast forth the devil [demon] out of her daughter.” Anyone who has had a child with chronic illness or with a sudden health crisis knows exactly how completely this matter dominated her life. “Besought” is a powerful word and is at the heart of intercessory prayer. In a sense, this woman and this girl became one as the mom immersed herself into the life of her daughter. I remember telling two grandparents that whenever I thought of them I did not pray for them but for their soon-to-be-born granddaughter, who had a potentially life-threatening condition in the womb. Instead of criticizing me, they looked at each other and smiled. One of them said, “That’s all we pray about for ourselves, too.” Love and prayer belong together.