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.)
We have been studying Luke 19:37-48, Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Here, we especially find that Jesus triumphs differently. Verses 41-44 record the lament of Jesus over the coming destruction of this city. The very heart of God is revealed in the shedding of His tears. Remember, this was the city that, in just a few days, would kill Jesus (and mock Him while killing Him – Luke 23:35-36). The razing of Jerusalem, though, caused Jesus no joy – not even any satisfaction. We would say that the city deserved to be destroyed (it did), and we would see its destruction as a victory. Yes, its judgment was necessary, but Jesus saw it as sadly necessary. Louder than the shouts of the crowd and the complaints of the Pharisees, then, were the tears of Jesus. His way of triumph seeks the best for others, including us. Our worst cannot overcome His best.