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 Bible is full of positive examples worthy of our emulation. It is also replete with negative examples that provide stern warnings to us. Anyone surnamed Herod falls into the latter category. Herod the Great, Herod Archelous, Herod Antipas, Herod Philip I, Herod Philip II, Herod Agrippa I, and Herod Agrippa II – all are infamous for their godlessness and abuse of power. Mark 6:14-16 introduces Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great: “And King Herod heard of Him; (for His name was spread abroad:) and he said, ‘That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.’ Others said, ‘That it is Elias [Elijah].’ And others said, ‘That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.’ But when Herod heard thereof, he said, ‘It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.’” Here we see the torment of guilt. Since the Old Testament had spoken of Elijah returning (Malachi 4:5-6), those who thought of him were at least basing their opinion on Scripture (although their interpretation was wrong, as Jesus explained in Matthew 17:11-13). Those who called Jesus “a prophet” were correct to a point, but He was far more than that. Herod’s belief, though, is bizarre. Both Jesus and John were known throughout Israel, had been seen together, and had conducted simultaneous ministries. No one else would have concocted this irrational and speculative assessment. However, guilt is a powerful thing. It is sobering that Herod could acknowledge that the works of Jesus were miraculous, that John was clearly a good man, and that rising from the dead was real – and not worship God! Guilt can dominate any life (I think of David in Psalm 32). Sadly, Herod’s guilt kept him from turning to the only One Who could forgive him and free him from this imprisoning burden; instead, he fled further into fear. May we be grateful that there is one way to deal with our guilt and sin fully, finally, and for ever. May each one of us find relief in the eternal forgiveness found through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6).