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 and His disciples (minus the traitor Judas Iscariot, who had departed from the gathering) close the new Communion service with an old Passover song: “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” (Mark 14:26). Here is an excellent example of prophecy and fulfillment, as well as the powerful continuity of Scripture-based tradition. During the Passover meal, it was customary to sing Psalms 115-118. Psalm 115:1 is a poetic reminder of the prosaic reality that we have no merit of our own with which to approach God: “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy and Thy truth’s sake.” Psalm 116:3 points to the suffering of Jesus: “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.” Verse 13 prefigures the shed blood of Jesus, exemplified in the Eucharist: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.” Verse 15 reminds us of Jesus’ very real death: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” Psalm 117:1 says, “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people,” indicating that God’s “merciful kindness” is available even to non-Jewish people (a lesson that the early Church needed to learn and embrace). Psalm 118 is sung at the end of the Passover service and is the one referenced in Mark 14:26. Much of this Psalm is overtly Messianic (especially verses 22-26). Verse 24 is particularly poignant: “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The Jewish people measured a day from sunset to sunset. Thus, our Thursday night was part of their Friday – the day that Jesus died. Remarkably, Jesus is singing about joy and with joy as He contemplates His impending death on the Cross. What a memorable lesson for the disciples – and for us! Often we should remember our Lord’s song, especially when we partake of the elements of the Communion service.