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.)
Let us consider one additional thought about the baptism of Jesus as recorded in Mark 1:9-11: “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, ‘Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’” We have previously studied the precise historical detail of verse 6 (about John’s attire and diet). Verse 9 should also be noted for its precision. Both Jesus and John are specifically named. Jesus means “the Lord is salvation,” and John means “the Lord is gracious.” These were quite common names in Israel at that time. The naming of children was important to the Jewish people, from both ancestral and theological perspectives. Both Jesus and John were divinely named (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:13), indicating just how important these names were to God: in a sense, the two men were living sermons. Also, we should note the locations. Jesus grew up in “Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 2:22-23) and came to the “Jordan” River where John was baptizing many. All of these specific names and places support the historicity of the Bible. We can trust the Word of God.