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.)
Revelation 21:2 says, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” This extraordinary verse speaks of cosmic changes and careful considerations brought about by our savior God. As we have studied the last two days, this astonishing “holy city” is a “prepared” place for believers. The specific description of this city’s preparation is the most personal possible: it is a home “prepared as a bride for her husband.” The concept of marriage is precious to God. He said at the beginning, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18). In a lengthy passage about marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33), the following statement is included: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it” (verse 25). Later, we read, “They two [husband and wife] shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (verses 31b-32). The imagery of marriage, the most intimate of human relationships, is thus employed by God to describe His relationship with us. The extension of this symbolism to “the holy city” is an indication of just how much our Savior wants to bless His beloved people. May we grow in our appreciation of the kindness of His closeness.