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.)
Luke 19:37-48 is the account of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. We touched upon this passage last week. What I especially want us to see is that Jesus triumphs differently. Man’s concept of victory is exemplified in the loud crowd’s cries. They were shouting, “Hosanna!” (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9, quoting Psalm 118:25), which means “Save now!”It was an expression of faith, but it revealed a misunderstanding of the ways and works of God. Likewise, the people anticipated that Jesus would install Himself as “the King” (verse 38, quoting Psalm 118:26). Would Jesus save now? Absolutely, but not in the manner that these folks expected. Would Jesus be proclaimed “the King”? Yes (Luke 23:38), but He would be crowned with thorns and crucified. The true triumph of Jesus was not temporary; it was and is everlasting. Can we pray, “Lord, save now”? Of course we can; I do, all the time…and sometimes quite loudly. However, we must recognize that Jesus views each moment from a divine and eternal perspective. His concept of triumph is thus not like ours, which focuses on winning immediately. We must trust that Jesus’ way is ever the best.