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.)
A jarring picture of Jesus is presented to us in Revelation 19:13a: “And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.” We should note that no comparative language is employed here; this usage is not metaphoric but rather is literal. Thus, the clothing of Jesus is stained with blood. Some scholars suggest, based on Isaiah 63:1-6, that this is the blood of His defeated enemies. However, this revelation of Jesus occurs before the final battle (really, military campaign) of Armageddon, which is detailed later in Revelation 19 (see verses 17-21). The only possible interpretation is that this blood is that of Jesus – His blood that was shed on the Cross to pay the full price for our sins. This inescapable conclusion is breath-taking, for it means that the saving power of Jesus is ever on visual display. Moreover, the power of the Cross that rescues each believer is the same power that results in righteous justice against His implacable foes. A pastor friend of mine, a faithful minister of the Gospel, always reminded himself of the necessity of preaching about the blood of Christ, even though – and, perhaps, especially because – our current culture disdains such clear Biblical teaching. May we in all of our churches not shrink from the fullness of the Gospel message; Jesus Himself does not, for He wears garments stained with His “precious blood” (I Peter 1:18).