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.)
After Jesus’ powerful promise of Mark 9:23, a heart-hurting father responds: “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief’” (verse 24). This dad is one of the more relatable people in all of Scripture, perhaps the most relatable. I once preached a sermon about him entitled “The Man in the Mirror,” for in him we see what we are like. Like this father, we see Jesus and know Who He is. Like him, we also see ourselves. When he looked into the mirror, he cringed and cried, for he saw his imperfect faith; we also have enough faith to know that we do not have enough faith. I admire the honesty of this man. Imagine a time of testimony where many stand and tell about how God is working; that would be good. Then imagine being the one person who stands up in front of the entire congregation and pleads, “Help me in my unbelief!” That is what this father did. He was honest with himself, with Jesus, and with those around him. Because he was honest and open, he was open to a work of God. May we be as honest and open with our Savior God.