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.)
Jesus is always doing multiple things. His cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14, 20-21) removes a wasteful impediment to essential agriculture and reveals His divine power. He also provides specific spiritual instruction: “And Jesus answering saith unto them, ‘Have faith in God’” (verse 22). This pithy statement immediately directs His disciples – including us – to the centrality of faith in the Christian life. As Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Such genuine faith leads to godly actions: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus uses the imagery of fruit-bearing to explain the expected results of faith: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” It is not by the showy leaves of the fruitless fig tree that we demonstrate our faith in Jesus; it is by the “good fruit” that reflects His goodness. Lord, we do not want to be leafy; we want to be fruitful.