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.)
We are all likely familiar with the account of Mark 1:9: “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.” Because we are so familiar with this baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, it is possible that we miss how dramatic this event was. Remember, John was preaching “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (verse 4). Jesus was sinless, of course, and had no need for “repentance” or for “the remission of sins.” In Matthew 3:14, John himself was puzzled: “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?” The next verse clears up the confusion: “And Jesus answering said unto him, ‘Suffer [Permit] it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.’ And he suffered [permitted] Him.” In being baptized, Jesus was verifying that John’s message was true. He was also establishing an example for us. Baptism does not save – only the Savior saves – but it is commanded as a step of obedience in our relationship with Jesus. The Great Commission includes the following: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). Christian water baptism thus becomes an outward proclamation of the inward reality of baptism by God the Holy Spirit into the eternal family of God (I Corinthians 6:19; 12:13). The thoughtfulness of our Savior God’s thoroughness is impressive beyond words: only He could take the simple act of immersing in water and invest it with such significance.