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.)
At the center of the Christian faith is the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, God the Son. Our celebration of Christmas is based upon this doctrine, for the sinlessness of Jesus stands in uncomfortable contrast to our sin and declares that we need a Savior. In Matthew 1:21 and in Luke 1:31, the angel stated that our Savior’s name would be Jesus, which in Hebrew means “the LORD is salvation.” In Luke 2:10-12, an angel appeared and delivered great good news to the shepherds. He told them that a baby (“the babe” – verse 12) had been born in Bethlehem, but He clarified that this infant was the “Savior” (verse 11). Yes, Jesus was a baby, flesh and blood, but He was more – the Savior. We all know intuitively that we are missing something in our lives, for, as the New International Version of Ecclesiastes 3:11 affirms, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” We need to be saved from our sins, and only one who is sinless can be the substitute for us. Jesus, fully human, is that substitute. Because He is also fully God, holy and sinless, He is our perfect substitute: He is the Savior. May each of us be certain of salvation through faith in Jesus, and may we rejoice at the birth of the “Savior [Who] is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).