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.)
Mark 15:37 states in simple words the death of Jesus: “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.” We know from the other Gospels that Jesus says, “It is finished” (John 19:30), followed immediately by His final statement from the Cross: “Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit” (Luke 23:4b). His words demonstrate that Jesus is sovereign in this moment of death; He is in complete control as He voluntarily chooses the exact time of His demise. Let us be clear on this point: God the Father does not kill God the Son. No, Jesus fulfills His eternal role as Savior, and He does so willingly and with all of His faculties intact. When Jesus states, “It is finished,” He is telling us that we cannot add or subtract from His work of salvation: His work is complete. His specific mentions of “Father” and “Spirit” reminds us that the Triune Godhead is in perfect unity in providing what each person desperately needs – forgiveness. Jesus then gives “up the ghost”; that is, He gives up His life, taking death for us, “for the wages of sin [our sin] is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).