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’ use of saliva in the healing of a deaf and mute man (Mark 7:32-35) is interesting: “He spit, and touched his tongue” (verse 33c). This minor but very specific and unusual detail reminds us of the absolute historical accuracy of God’s Word. Beyond that important reason for Jesus’ employment of spit, there is also a compelling Biblical contrast. Isaiah 50:6 is Messianic: “I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting.” This sad prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus: “Then did they spit in His face, and buffeted Him, and others smote Him with the palms of their hands” (Matthew 26:67). Man used spit in disdain and derision of Jesus; He used spit in the healing of a man. Such is the chasm between sinning man and the Son of Man – a chasm that He bridged on the Cross.