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.)
As we have previously considered, Deuteronomy 19:15b establishes a wise principle for authentication of evidence: “At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” Peter, James, and John provided earthly confirmation of the events on the Mount of Transfiguration; and Elijah and Moses added heavenly affirmation. Furthermore, a third heavenly Witness is revealed in Mark 9:7: “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son: hear Him.’” These simple words of God the Father corrected Peter’s unthinking equating of Elijah and Moses to Jesus (verse 5). Also, the two Old Testament men of faith were then removed from the scene: “And suddenly, when they looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves” (verse 8). God’s immediate intervention demonstrates how serious the problem of incorrect doctrine is. Titus 2:1 commands, “But speak thou the things which become [are in keeping with] sound doctrine.” This crucial injunction is specifically for pastors but logically extends to all believers. Let us hold to “the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42), “to the doctrine which is to godliness” (I Timothy 6:3c).