od 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.)
In response to the selfish demand of James and John to be enthroned alongside Jesus in “glory” (Mark 10:35-37), our Lord asks a question in verse 38: “But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’” The “cup” and “baptism” are used here as figures of speech for His soon suffering. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). In Luke 12:50, our Savior stated, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened [distressed] till it be accomplished!” By using this imagery, then, Jesus was properly directing attention to Himself and to His ministry of eternal salvation. Whenever individual Christians or individual churches wander from the centrality of Christ’s Cross, they are wandering indeed. Since, as the old hymn says, we are “prone to wander,” let us determine to stand firm near the Cross – on the ground of God’s grace.