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.)
Revelation 12:1-2 introduces a powerful and memorable symbol: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” A “wonder” is a sign, something that points beyond itself. The identification of this symbolic “woman” has elicited numerous speculative interpretations, including the Virgin Mary; Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science cult; and the Church. Comparing Scripture to Scripture (as we always should), we find only one reasonable possibility. Genesis 37:9b records part of Joseph’s dream and uses the same imagery: “Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance.” Verse 10b provides the Spirit-inspired interpretation of Jacob: “Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?” Jacob’s other name is Israel, and his sons (with Joseph being the twelfth star) became the progenitous of the tribes of Israel. Thus, this “woman” represents Israel, the source of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The “child” of verse 2 is a “man child” who “was caught up unto God” (verse 5), fulfilled in Jesus’ ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). This inclusion of Israel in the book of Revelation is one more reminder that our Lord always keeps His promises – all of His promises.