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.)
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays with unprecedented intensity: “And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt’” (Mark 14:35-36). This “cup” of suffering and death reveals God’s righteous wrath against sin. II Corinthians 5:21a starkly states, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin”; that is, God the Father poured out His full wrath on the sinless God the Son, all because of our sin. No wonder that we observe the sorrow of Jesus, His sweat like blood, His cries for deliverance. The rest of II Corinthians 5:21 explains that this substitutionary atonement was necessary so “that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” The Cross is more than transactional – it is transformative – but a transaction did take place there. Jesus takes our sin; we receive His “righteousness.” However, this transaction is not a formality nor a business deal. The entirety of the personality of God the Son is revealed throughout this passage, and the emotion is real. All of these circumstances hurt Jesus, truly hurt Him. Let us tread carefully on this holy ground. Even better, let us bow down there.