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.)
Thursday of Holy Week included the preparation for the Jewish Passover. On Thursday evening (which according to Jewish reckoning was Friday, for their new day started at sundown), Jesus washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:1-14); from this event many churches have Maundy Thursday services (“Maundy” coming from the Latin for “mandate”) in which foot-washing is performed. Then, Jesus inaugurated the communion service, using the traditional Passover and investing it with its fullest meaning. In Matthew 26:26-29, Jesus compared the bread to His body and the cup to His shed blood. He specifically employed the term “the new testament,” fulfilling the prophecy of “a new covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This passage closes with this promise: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jesus fulfilled the entire Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-18) and sealed the new covenant with His own blood. No stronger seal could be given.