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.)
When Jesus walked this earth and talked to its inhabitants, not everyone was interested in listening. The wealthy and powerful religious leaders were particularly antagonistic, for they considered Jesus to be a threat to their wealth and power. In the face of their hostility and with the full knowledge that they would condemn Him to die on a cross, Jesus spoke to them in the language that they professed to love – the language of the Old Testament. For example, in Matthew 22:41-46, Jesus used Psalm 110:1 to completely confound the intelligentsia. He was not interested in merely stumping them. No, He wanted them to reflect, to think seriously and deeply. As intellectuals, they were used to this type of challenging questioning, and they should have responded positively to this kind of speech. Jesus was speaking their scholarly language; He was endeavoring to personally persuade them that He was the prophesied Messiah. Most of them, tragically, refused to take Him at His word, but some did – Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimethea, Paul, and a large number of priests (Acts 6:7). No one can say that Jesus did not speak rightly and forthrightly to these leaders, and no one can even suggest that He has not spoken as clearly and eloquently to us. Whatever our level of education and intellect, we can understand the gracious words of the Savior.