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.)
Mark 1:8 completes the core message of John the Baptist: “I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” Again, we see that John’s words are exalting Jesus rather than himself. Yes, John’s ministry was an important preparation for “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1), but it was the preparation and not the fulfillment. John emphasized the difference by contrasting his water baptism with the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus would accomplish. As we have touched upon previously, John’s baptism by immersion in water signified an individual’s open acknowledgment of the need to turn from sinful ways, to repent (verse 4 – “the baptism of repentance”). This agreement with God that we have sinned is a vital step in the forgiveness of the sins that we are honestly acknowledging. However, most people (really, probably all) are willing to admit some wrong doing in their lives. Perhaps they will not use Biblical terms such as sins or transgressions to describe their behavior; they might call their sins mistakes, indiscretions, bad choices, failures, or something similar. The point is, though, we do know that we have done wrong. Even if we publicly proclaim this fact, we do not immediately receive “the remission of sins” (verse 4), for not even the greatest of the prophets could forgive sins. Only God can offer this forgiveness, which is available through the saving work of Jesus, God the Son. At the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), God the Holy Spirit indwelt believers, fulfilling this promised divine baptism. The indwelling Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19; 12:13) baptizes us into the family of God and serves as the sure seal of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13). John’s simple use of comparison and contrast is straightforward and appropriately directs our full attention to the Savior.