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.)
Mark 13:3-4 records the disciples’ interest in Jesus’ prophetic words: “And as He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?’” The Mount of Olives was just to the east of Jerusalem and the Temple and offered an excellent view of both, being about one hundred feet higher in elevation. It was a place of peace, a scene of serenity – exactly what the frazzled disciples needed. It was also a place of privacy (the disciples “asked Him privately”) – also what the somewhat befuddled followers of Jesus needed right then. We need time on the mountaintop at the feet of Jesus – while contemplating the hard and sometimes harsh realities of life in the valley. We should note that Jesus not only does not rebuke the disciples for asking questions but also does provide lengthy answers. The parallel passage in Matthew 24-25 of this Olivet discourse (as it is commonly called) is Jesus’ longest recorded answer in Scripture. His ready response reminds us both of the importance of prophetic truth and of the solicitude of our Savior in providing the information that clears up our confusion.