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.)
The rich young ruler’s refusal to “follow” Jesus (Mark 10:21-22) is explicated by our Lord in verse 23: “And Jesus looked round about and saith unto His disciples, ‘How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!’” In that era, the prevailing idea was that the wealthier the person, the godlier the person. That false concept, still popular today, explains the response of His closest followers: “And the disciples were astonished at His words.” (verse 24a). Their amazement only grew as Jesus continued in verses 24b-26 to teach them: “But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, ‘Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, ‘Who then can be saved?’” Perhaps you have heard or read of a so-called “Camel’s Gate” through which a camel could enter only on its knees. This speculative interpretation has no historical or archaeological support, and it completely destroys Jesus’ point. He is saying that wealth cannot save one soul, that it cannot buy a stairway to heaven. Money can buy many things, but it cannot buy forgiveness and eternal life.