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.)
One obvious aspect of our culture is that it elevates the sensational. “If it bleeds, it leads” is a maxim of media. The more outrageous the behavior of a ballplayer, musician, or actor, the greater the coverage – and, predictably, the approbation. Jesus directly confronted this disturbing trend in Matthew 12:38-40: The religious leaders, the influencers of that day, demanded “a sign” (verse 38). In response, Jesus called them “evil and adulterous” (verse 39). The word “adulterous” indicates that they were spiritually unfaithful and unreliable; as James 1:8 reminds us, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Jesus refused this sinful desire for the sensational and pointed to His coming death and resurrection as the only sign that mattered (verse 39-40). The lesson is simple and profound: let us not seek a sign when we can seek the Savior, Jesus Christ.