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’ disciples ask key questions in Mark 13:3-4: “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?’” What did these men (and other Jewish people) generally expect about the future? First, they anticipated tribulation. Centuries of persecution and subjugation seemed to them to have fulfilled prophetic passages predicting great difficulties for Israel (for example, Zechariah 13:8-9; Daniel 9:24-27). Even the promises of Israel’s restoration pointed to prior extreme trouble. Second, they were looking for a forerunner like Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6); Jesus had confirmed to His followers that John the Baptist was this Elijah-like prophet (Matthew 17:11-12). Third, they believed fervently in the Messiah’s appearance. Fourth, they expected that an alliance of nations would oppose the Messiah (Zechariah 14:1-2) and, fifth, that this confederation would be destroyed (Zechariah 14:3-9). Sixth, they trusted that Israel (including Jerusalem) would be restored (Isaiah 66:7-14). Seventh, they looked forward to the regathering of all Jewish people into the restored land of Israel (Jeremiah 23:5-8; 30:8-11; Ezekiel 39:25-29). All of this would be followed by an eternal period of prosperity and righteousness, with Jerusalem the center of the word (Isaiah 65:17-25, among numerous other references). All of these beliefs were quite accurate, but they included two primary errors. First, the disciples did not understand that there would be two advents of the Messiah. Second, because they focused on an outward deliverance from oppression rather than an inward salvation from sin, they had no expectation of the atoning death of the Messiah. They wrongly believed that the destruction of the Temple would immediately launch the final events predicted in the Old Testament. Details matter; here, they matter eternally.