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.)
Jesus dealt directly with the disciples’ disgusting dispute (Mark 10:35-41): “But Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, ‘Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you’” (verses 42-43). “Gentiles” are any non-Jewish people, but to Jesus’ followers the word would have meant especially one group of people – the Romans. The Roman Empire had conquered the nation of Israel in 63 B.C. Thus, all of these men had lived under Roman domination for their entire lives. The emperors were noted for their arrogance and despotism, and their disdain for the Jewish people extended through their military minions, governors, and other government officials into every aspect of Jewish daily life. Thus, for Jesus to liken His disciples’ behavior to that of these pagan oppressors was shocking. Sin is sin, and it needs to be labeled as such. Jesus’ forthright denunciation should capture our attention and direct us away from the “authority” of the world to His absolute authority, an authority employed on our behalf to save us from our sins.