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.)
Some years ago, one of the runners that I coached had a dream in which I yelled at her, “You just can’t finish!” I never treated my athletes that way (she knew that), but like every good runner she was obsessive and paranoid. Later that year at the state meet in the 3200 meters, she was behind by at least 40 yards going into the last lap but caught the leader to win by inches. She could finish. I admire anyone who finishes what is started, and I thus admire Jesus. In John 17:4, He said, “I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.” John 19:30 records the words of Jesus on the Cross: “It is finished.” This was the literal and absolute fulfillment of Jesus’ work at a definite point in space and time. It is not general; it is specific, with all of the gory and graphic details associated with crucifixion. At the Cross, Jesus finished the work of sacrificial atonement, substituting Himself for each one of us. The author Nadine Gordimer once wrote, “There is no moral authority like that of sacrifice.” Jesus fulfilled prophecy and finished His work on the Cross. There is no greater moral authority.