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.)
In Mark 8:27-29a, Jesus returned to His private instruction of His closest followers: “And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, ‘Whom do men say that I am?’ And they answered, “’John the Baptist’: but some say, ‘Elias’ [Elijah]; and others, ‘One of the prophets.’” And He saith unto them, ‘But Whom say ye I am?’” We are used to teachers asking students questions; such pedagogy is integral to our system of education (such as it is). However, in the Jewish culture of that time, a teacher did not ask questions; rather, the disciples asked, and the teacher answered. Jesus did not follow this accepted practice, for He – being fully God – always took the initiative. By asking these questions, He quickly directed His students to what really mattered. He was endeavoring to draw out their faith, a great work of God: “No man can come to Me, except the Father [Who] hath sent Me draw him” (John 6:44a). Creation, the human conscience, the Word, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son in human flesh – all of these are evidences of the drawing power of our Savior God. Our part is simply to respond to the initiative of God.