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.)
Revelation 14:14 provides an evocative description of God the Son, Jesus Christ: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.” The “sickle” is a symbol of judgment (which, with God, is always righteous justice). It is “sharp,” indicating its effectiveness as an implement of harvest, and it is in the “hand” of Jesus Himself. In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus provided the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds). He then interpreted this spiritual story in verses 37b-43: “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” This is the final harvest at “the end of the world,” and it is terrifying. May each one of us be sure that our faith is fully and solely in “the Son of man,” Jesus Christ. Rather than receiving the “sickle,” we can receive the certainty of salvation and rest in the spike-shattered hands of the Savior.