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.)
On our Thursday evening of Holy Week (because the Jewish day started at sunset, they would have called it Friday), our Savior gave the Passover meal its fullest meaning as He instituted the Communion service. Mark 14: 22-25 records, “And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, ‘Take, eat: this is My body.’ And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And He said unto them, ‘This is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’” Everything Jesus did was purposeful. Included in this passage is “the new testament” – the new covenant, the new promise. The “blood” of the original Passover protected the Israelites from the death of the firstborn and prepared for their exodus from slavery in Egypt. This first Passover prefigured the infinitely greater deliverance that Jesus has promised to anyone who simply trusts in Him for eternal salvation. He has made this solemn promise and sealed it with His shed blood. No greater expression of love – everlasting love – is possible.