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 Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) always draws our attention back to our Lord and Savior. Chapter 10 includes helpful insights into His transcendence – that is, He is surpassing, above all and independent of all. Verse 1 records the further vision of the Apostle John: “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.” This sight is impressive, even overwhelming. However, an “angel” is a messenger of God, a servant of our Savior. Yes, this angel is “mighty,” but he is not omnipotent, as Jesus is. Moreover, he is “another” angel, one of many, of a multitude. All of their might together cannot even begin to match God’s, for their power is derived from Him and is dependent upon Him. This angel is sent “down from heaven” as a representative of Almighty God. A cynic might scoff at his unusual clothing (“clothed with a cloud”), but the imagery is of the Shekinah* glory of God, which is so great, so different, that it clings to His messenger (as it did to Moses – see Exodus 34:33-35). The references to the brightness of the “sun” and “pillars of fire” are consistent with this Old Testament imagery. Whenever we observe a life changed by Jesus, we are seeing something of the same effect. It is truly remarkable that the transcendence of Jesus – what theologians sometimes call His otherness – could so profoundly and personally touch and transform those who follow Him.
*The word Shekinah, sometimes spelled Shechinah, is not found in Scripture but was used by devout Jews and early Christians to refer to a display of God’s presence; the word literally means “residence.”