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.)
Since “the prayers of all saints” arise “before the throne” of God (Revelation 8:3-4), we should pray for the forgiveness that we so obviously – even desperately – need. The lengthy parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is thus most encouraging. This son had abandoned his father, wasted his inheritance in “riotous living” (verse 13), and was surviving by eating pig fodder (verse 16). Mired in his self-made and seemingly hopeless predicament, he still recognized the possibility of forgiveness: “I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee’” (verse 18). The rapid response of his father is emblematic of our Father’s forgiveness: “When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck [hugged him], and kissed him.” Yes, our Savior God is ever ready to forgive us, and He will do so with almighty alacrity and absolute absolution. He always welcomes His children back home.