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.)
Mark 1:35-39 records the rather surprising result of Jesus’ healings in Capernaum: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after Him. And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, ‘All men seek for Thee.’ And He said unto them, ‘Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.’ And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils [demons].” It would have been reasonable for Jesus to sleep longer. No doubt He was fatigued, and Scripture does say of God that “He giveth His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2b). No one would have thought ill of Him had He remained in Capernaum for days or even weeks, for there was such great interest in Him that many would have willingly listened to Him further. Also, as news spread, others would have traveled to see Him just as they had earlier journeyed to see John the Baptist (Mark 1:4-5). However, Jesus’ actions provide at least three key applications. First, He emphasizes the primary of prayer. A church that does not earnestly intercede will lose its spiritual dynamic. Second, He was on His own divine time schedule, not man’s. His timing is not based on our clocks (II Peter 3:8). Third, there are always others who need to hear about Jesus – and we all know some of those people.