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 return to the theme of the Gospel of Mark: “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” (10:45). This statement of Jesus distills His extensive ministry into just a few simple and straightforward words. Part of His giving “His life a ransom for many” is removing believers from the realm of Satan’s control. Hebrews 2:14-15 comments on this aspect of Jesus’ work: “For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Satan’s greatest power is keeping people in sin, and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). Jesus has broken that power by taking the full punishment for all of our sins. Remarkably, His death defeats not only the devil but also death itself: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (I Corinthians 15:55). The promise of Jesus has replaced the “fear of death”: “Because I live, you shall live also” (John 14:19b). Satan has been conquered, and the previously inevitable and inexorable grip of death has been broken. Of course, unless Jesus returns first, death is a sad reality: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:26). I do not speak lightly of death, which is often preceded by diminishing capacities and increasing discomfort and pain. Grief is an extraordinarily debilitating emotion, as well. The living love offered by Jesus, though, is the ultimate answer to the “fear of death.”