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.)
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) reveals that He is coming back, and He is coming back “quickly” (22:7, 12, 20). We are thus compassionately commanded to be “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). A Biblical example of this appropriate attitude of expectation is found in Luke 2:25-35. The prophet Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (verse 25) – the first coming of the Messiah. “It was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (verse 26). Upon the fulfillment of this prophecy, Simeon prayed, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word” (verse 29). We do not know if Simeon died shortly thereafter or not. What we do know is that He looked for the coming of the Savior, that he was strengthened in his faith, and that he felt that there was nothing better in life than what he had just experienced. Two applications come quickly to mind. First, we need to be thinking about our Lord’s return, for it has been prophesied and will be fulfilled. Second, some believers, including at least a few who are mortally ill, will not experience death. It is also possible, even probable, that at least one Christian’s funeral will be gloriously interrupted by Jesus’ return. Let us then continue to look for Him expectantly.