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.)
Even though the malign and murderous religious leaders had been silenced and did not dare to ask Jesus further questions (Matthew 22:34; Mark 12:34), our Lord continues to converse with them: “And Jesus answered [spoke] and said, while He taught in the temple, ‘How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Mine enemies Thy footstool.’” David therefore himself calleth Him Lord; and whence is He then his Son?’ And the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:35-37). Here, Jesus quotes from Psalm 110:1; it is the most quoted verse in the Bible, used eighteen times in the New Testament. This Psalm was widely regarded as being Messianic, and Jesus confirms that it is (and also confirms the divine inspiration of Scripture – see also II Timothy 3:16-17). Its frequent usage does not mean that it is more important than other verses but simply that we need to be reminded of its truth. Much of Christianity involves repetition of key elements of the faith. For example, we regularly partake of Communion, and the messages that we hear at Christmas and Easter are much the same year after year. Certain familiar passages such as Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer are staples in church services worldwide. We need this continuity to comfort us and to unite us. Our Savior God knows of these needs and consistently provides for us.