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.)
In Mark 9:35-37, we saw that Jesus countered His disciples’ desire for “greatness” with the example of a “child.” He expands that teaching about children in verse 42: “And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in Me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.” These are searing, searching words that demand intense introspection. The mode of execution referenced by Jesus was actually used by the Romans; for example, the early Jewish Zealot leader Judas the Galilean was put to death this way. Imagine being dropped into dark water, struggling to no avail, and hanging motionless in the depths, unseen by those above. This graphic picture is a warning to all people not to be the cause of others stumbling into false beliefs and wrong behaviors. I know of a sinning, thoroughly secular father who persistently sought to undermine his young daughter’s faith. When he was not drinking, doing drugs, and running after women, he posed the usual trite atheistic challenges to her and even gave her atheistic reading material. He was an extreme example of a person who did “offend one of these little ones.” Because all of us have the negative potential to hinder the spiritual development of others, we need to be alert to that possibility. Of course, we also have the positive potential for spiritual good. Let us be ready for the opportunities that will arise for ministry in Jesus’ name, especially to those people close to us who are watching us carefully to see if our faith is genuine.