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.)
In Mark 10:38, Jesus asks His disciples James and John if they are willing to endure the suffering that He was facing. They respond in the affirmative: “And they said unto Him, ‘We can’” (verse 39a). The two brothers were fiery individuals, earning from Jesus the sobriquet “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). Their intensity and their closeness to Jesus (as cousins and as disciples) certainly contributed to their self-certainty. However, what they were actually exhibiting was pride. Centuries ago, Sir Thomas More wrote, “Pride is the infernal serpent that steals into the hearts of men, thwarting and holding them back from choosing the better way of life. Pride is far too deeply rooted in men’s hearts to be easily torn out.” Even more insightful, because it is Scripture, is Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Each one of us needs to heed God’s kind command: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (I Peter 5:6).