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.)
Because Jesus ever listens to His people (Revelation 8:1-4; Psalm 17:6; 31:2; 71:2; 86:1; 102:2), we need to be serious about what we say to Him. “Jesus, forgive me” – that is a simple and necessary place for us to begin for we need His eternal salvation. Of course, we also require continued forgiveness. An uncharitable thought, a sharp word, a moment of wallowing self-pity – all of these and more must be forgiven. Matthew 9:1-8 provides the account of the healing of a paralyzed man. He had a genuine physical need, and Jesus met that. However, the focus of the passage is on the forgiveness of sin (verses 2, 4-6). We should not fall into the Pharisaical theological trap of believing that this man’s spiritual needs caused his physical affliction. Rather, we should understand that, as serious as his bodily needs were, his spiritual burdens were greater, for they had eternal implications. What this man needed most is what each one of us continues to need – the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Psalm 103:12 reassures us that “as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” Let us thus continue to pray “Jesus, forgive me.” Surely He continues to listen – and forgive.