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 continues His emphasis on family (Mark 10:2-12) in verses 13-14: “And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.’” “Suffer” means “start allowing,” and “forbid them not” means “stop preventing.” These short, sharp commands reveal Jesus’ intensity about this subject. Statistics have consistently shown that 95% of Christians come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ before the age of twenty-five – most of these well before that age. Because our hearts become harder as we grow older, it is harder for older people to admit the need for a Savior. The disciples did not know these things, but Jesus did and does. He wants each person in “the kingdom of God”; thus, He wants each child “to come unto” Him. An important aspect of our lives as Christians, then, is to “start allowing” and “stop preventing” young people’s spiritual development.