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.)
We have been exulting in the fact that Jesus can be trusted with our lives. We have seen that Jesus is dependable because He understands dependence and that He has accepted us because He is accepted. Furthermore, we learn that Jesus humbled Himself so that we would not be humiliated. Matthew 12: 18c-19, quoting from Isaiah 42:1-4, registers the words of God the Father concerning God the Son: “He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets.” Did Jesus have omnipotence in His earthly ministry? Yes, He was and is fully God and thus exercised “judgment,” which we should understand as justice – His justice, not man’s imperfect and often corrupt version. Did He speak boldly in public? Yes, He certainly did, but He never forced anyone to agree with Him or trust in Him. He made absolute claims to be the promised Savior. John 14:6 comes readily to mind: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” He was just telling the facts, the glorious facts. In His humility, He does not coerce us into trusting in Him. He also does not reject even one who places faith in Him. If we trust in Him, His work of humility replaces our humiliation, and we learn that He really can be trusted.