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.)
The prophetic words of Isaiah 54:5 direct us to the Messiah, Jesus Christ: “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and they Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.” Ephesians 5:22-33 uses the imagery of a bridegroom and bride to show us that Jesus is the best possible Husband of the Church. Clearly, then, Jesus has the highest view of marriage possible, for otherwise He would not make this comparison in His Holy Word. Certainly any married person should take the commands of this passage seriously, and anyone contemplating marriage should soberly consider these divine expectations. Probably the one passage that most makes modern minds bristle is I Peter 3:7: “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them [wives] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” “Weaker vessel” – well, on the surface, that sounds like the beginning of a fight! Let us understand this controversial verse correctly. First, there is no connotation of inferiority, for wives are to be honored and are spiritual equals. Second, this responsibility before God rests squarely on the husband, for otherwise his spiritual life, particularly his prayers, will be “hindered.” Third, “weaker” in this context is not a negative or limiting word. Rather, it denotes value. Think of a common plastic container and a priceless Ming vase. Both can hold flowers, but only one can survive being smashed on a floor. The “weaker vessel” is the precious one and is worthy of careful consideration and rapt attention. Thus, Jesus highly values His Church, for as our Husband He perfectly fulfills all of His own commandments.