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.)
Once Jesus sets foot on the eastern side of the Sea (Lake) of Galilee, He has not even a moment to relax: “And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:2-5). The condition of this poor man is lamentable beyond any words that I can employ. In their own limited ways, people tried to help him (and others) by endeavoring to restrain him, but these efforts continued to fail. Some probably thought that this afflicted man was an affliction on society, that at best he was worthless, at worst a menace that needed to be removed. However, we know that each human being is created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-28) and thus possesses extraordinary inherent value. Even Satan’s activity in this man’s life is illustrative of this truth; for if a human soul were not precious, Satan would not seek to destroy it. More importantly, if a human soul were not precious, Jesus would not seek to save it. May we learn to value that which our Savior God places such an emphasis upon – each eternal human soul.