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.)
Yesterday, we considered Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 118:22-23 in Mark 12:10-11: “And have ye not read this scripture; ‘The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?” The parallel passage in Matthew 21:44 provides this additional statement from Jesus: “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” The same declaration is also found in Luke 20:18. Thus, Jesus not only teaches from the authoritative Old Testament but also makes a specific application for all of the people listening – and now for all of the people reading. The word picture is one of judgment. The religious leaders were already plotting to “fall” on Jesus, the “stone” being a familiar symbol of the Messiah (see especially Isaiah 8:14 and Daniel 2:34-35). Although Jesus would die at their hands, they would be the ones “broken” and ultimately ground “to powder.” Jesus would rise from the grave, victorious over all. The religious leaders would lose their nation and their power. Those who stand with Jesus will stand indeed – and for all eternity.