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 the middle of His simple and effective illustration, Jesus inserts a piece of crucial theology: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41). He refers to Himself as “Christ.” This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Messiah,” which means “Anointed One.” Thus, Jesus is directing His disciples then and now to His essential character (“name” means Who He is). In so doing, He is reminding us that our service to others, no matter how extensive or heartfelt it is, does not save us eternally. We need the “Anointed One” to anoint us with His holiness and righteousness; we need the “Messiah” to save us from our sins. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). This passage provides the Biblical progression. First, we are saved by faith in Christ. Second, we then serve in His name and as He wills. Even as Jesus speaks eloquently and expertly about servanthood in Mark 9, He makes it clear that first of all each one of us needs the Servant as Savior.