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.)
In Mark 8:29, we find the key question and answer of Christianity: “And He saith unto them, ‘But Whom say ye that I am?’ And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, ‘Thou art the Christ.’” In general, the people of Israel (with the notable exceptions of the religious elites) had high opinions of Jesus, linking Him to John the Baptist, Elijah, and the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15-18 (Mark 8:28). They knew that the power of God was evident in His miracles and in His original and forceful teaching. However, we do not receive salvation by saying good things about Jesus, even by speaking of Him as the greatest teacher ever (true!) and the greatest example ever (also true!). We must know Him as “the Christ.” This is not a second name for Jesus; it is a title that states that He is the Messiah, the Anointed One. It is a statement that He is God. “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30) is Jesus’ claim of absolute divinity. Whenever Jesus used the expression “I am,” He was affirming His full deity, for it is the equivalent of the Old Testament “LORD” (YAHWEH). The confession of Thomas in John 20:28 is the confession of every Christian: “My Lord and my God.” A Christian, to be a Christian, must confess that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is the Savior God.