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.)
Mark 7:31 records Jesus’ return to the southeastern shores of the Sea of Galilee: “And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, He came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.” Given Jesus’ sterling reputation as a healer, it is no surprise that immediately a man was brought to Him for healing: “And they bring unto Him one that was deaf, and had impediment in his speech; and they beseech Him to put His hand upon him. And He took him aside from the multitude” (verses 32-33a). The tenderness of our Savior is tangibly expressed here. Some time ago, we studied Jesus’ healing of a leper (Mark 1:40-45) and saw how important His actual touch was to a man who likely had not been touched for years. Here Jesus took this deaf and mute man away from the teeming crowd. No doubt this man had often been the subject of unwanted attention due to his infirmities. He had been gawked at (and who enjoys that sniffing, superior staring?); he had the additional discomfort of knowing that some people were talking about him but not being able to hear their words and refute them. Jesus’ thoughtfulness is a reminder that our loving Lord cares about each one of us personally and ever seeks that which is best for us.