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 fear that occurred during months preceding the first Christmas did not end with the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Matthew 2:1-2 records the coming of the magi after His nativity: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He [Who] is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.’” This fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Numbers 24:17 should have been a cause of celebration. However, the response of verse 3 was not one of rejoicing: “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” In simple terms, Herod was afraid that this infant would usurp his brutal reign. A fearful Herod was a vicious, vindictive despot, causing fear to spread throughout the capital city. We understand the trepidation of the people, for a repressive regime is an ongoing threat to its citizens, as we have experienced over the last four years. However, the coming of the promised Savior, offering eternal life, certainly superseded the evil efforts of one “troubled” tyrant. A simple principle emerges: faith is stronger than fear.