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 cleansing the Temple (Mark 11:15-16), Jesus speaks forthrightly: “And He taught, saying unto them, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer’? But ye have made it a den of thieves’” (verse 17). In teaching the people, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Even those who rejected Jesus could not reject the authority of the Old Testament; His use of Scripture was irrefutable. The mention of “all nations” is a reminder that the nation of Israel had been negligent for centuries in reaching out to other people. Jesus presents a missionary emphasis to them. His restoration of the Court of the Gentiles as a place of worship was a crucial part of this mission. “A den of thieves” was utterly unattractive to anyone who was being drawn to God. Jesus’ vigorous language should cause us to evaluate our own churches. Financial accountability is necessary. Recently, the largest church in our area folded due to serious financial improprieties; such practices are a stain on the Church in general. We must also emphasize the Gospel. We have an obligation to preach the truth to all people.