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 3:18 includes “James the son of Alphaeus” as an apostle called by Jesus. James is the English translation of the Greek Jacobus, a popular name in Jewish culture due to their regard for the patriarch Jacob (who was also named Israel by God Himself – Genesis 32:28). Thus, it is not surprising that two of the “twelve” (Mark 3:14) have this name. This apostle is called “James the less” in Mark 15:40. This descriptor does not indicate inferiority; rather, it means that this apostle was younger than the son of Zebedee. We really know nothing else about James the son of Alphaeus. Clearly, though, he is involved in all of the major events found in the Gospels. He is also part of the leadership of the early Church. The details of his faithful service are not recorded for us, but there is no doubt that his Savior knew each one. As such, James represents generations of Christians who have been largely forgotten by history. Revelation 14:13d states of them, “Their works do follow them.” The same will be true of each of us.