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 description of the wall and the foundations of the heavenly city is extraordinary: “And the building of the wall of it was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst” (Revelation 21:18-20). These “foundations” are layers one upon another, all extending around the four sides. Since our Savior God is lavish in all that He does for us, it is no surprise that He will use “all manner of precious stones” to create a breath-taking backdrop in our future home. The colors include red, brown, or yellow (“jasper”); blue (“sapphire”); sky-blue with stripes of other colors or greenish-blue (“chalcedony”); bright green (“emerald”); red and white (“sardonyx”); bright red or honey (“sardius”); golden (“chrysolyte” – the name is now applied to pale-green gem); sea-green (“beryl”); yellow-green (“topaz”); apple-green (“chrysoprasus”); blue or violet (“jacinth”), and purple (“amethyst”). This array of sparkling colors is another reminder of the beauty of our Lord; His palate is an expression of His ever-creative, always-and-in-all- ways-beautiful character.