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 1:11 records the words of God the Father to God the Son: “And there came a voice from heaven, saying, ‘Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’” We are not surprised that the Father is “well pleased” with the Son, for Jesus is fully God and perfect in all of His ways, words, and works. What is surprising is that this delight extends to us. The same Greek word translated “well pleased” is employed in Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Just as the Father expresses delight in the Son, He extends His “good pleasure” to His “little flock” of followers. This divine delight not only is directed to us but also is employed through us. For example, Paul wrote in Romans 15:26, “For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” Elsewhere, Paul wrote, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8), and “So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us” (I Thessalonians 2:8). In both verses, “willing” translates the same Greek word found in Mark 1:11, indicating that our behavior can reflect the delight that the Father has for the Son and for us. May we find this same real pleasure in serving God and others.