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.)
Eight days after the first Christmas, Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem as required by the Mosaic Law (Luke 2:21-35). Their simple obedience reveals their genuine faith in the face of the fear engendered by hateful Herod, and their “sacrifice” of “a pair of turtle doves” (verse 24) instead of a lamb shows their material poverty. The rest of this passage presents the faith of Simeon, who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (verse 25). God graciously granted this good man the deep desire of his heart to see “the Lord’s Christ” (verse 26). In what is often called the Song of Simeon, this godly man (“just and devout” – verse 25) echoes some of the themes that we have recently studied in Isaiah and in the Christmas account: “peace” (verse 29), “salvation” (verse 30), “all people” (verse 31), “light to lighten the Gentiles” (verse 32), and “glory” (also verse 32). He then added these prophetic words of warning: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also.) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (verses 34b-35). This chilling prediction was spoken directly to Mary, who did indeed witness the crucifixion of her son (John 19:25-37). Faith is stronger than fear, no doubt. However, faith must deal with the harsh hardships of life. Whereas fear magnifies a problem, faith sees it clearly for what it is, puts it in its place, and deals practically with it. Because our faith is based on fact, Christians are the greatest realists in the world. Hard times will come, but our Lord is preparing us to face them and to be faithful until His return.