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.)
In Mark 9:16, Jesus confronts the critical and carping religious leaders: “And He asked the scribes, ‘What question ye with them?’” Jesus knew, of course, what they had been saying. By asking a direct question of these “scribes,” He was demonstrating His authority; for others did not dare to oppose these legalistic tyrants. Jesus’ forthright query is a good illustration of Proverbs 26:4-5: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” These are not contradictory statements. Rather, they call for discernment. If people are obdurate, we are not to waste time disputing their foolishness. If people are amenable to correction, then we are to speak frankly to them. Jesus knew of the hardness of the hearts of the scribes and knew that they were settled in their hatred of Him. However, the “great multitude” of people listening (verse 14) were interested in Jesus, even excited about Him. His authority was not likely to sway any of the scribes, but it was likely to impact many of the spiritually sensitive people in the crowd. By challenging the scribes, Jesus was giving everyone present an opportunity to choose to accept His kind and eternal authority. As He speaks through Scripture, He offers the same opportunity to each one of us today.