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.)
After an exhausting day and a less-than-restful evening (Mark 4), Jesus comes ashore on the eastern side of the Sea (Lake) of Galilee: “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes” (Mark 5:1). Israel included a good number of Gentile (non-Jewish) people scattered throughout the land, for it was part of the Roman Empire. However, the region of “the Gadarenes” (or Gerasenes) was dominantly Gentile. Jesus’ specific decision to visit this area is in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The prophet Isaiah especially spoke about the Messiah’s ministry to Gentiles (11:10; 42:1, 6; 49:6, 22). When the infant Jesus was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem, the prophet Simeon proclaimed Him to be “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:32). Probably most of us reading this brief devotional fall into the first-century category of Gentiles. May we be grateful for our inclusion in God’s plan of salvation and for His continuing ministry to all people.