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 the midst of the sad account of the brutal beheading of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-29), we find this telling insight into the motivations of Herod Antipas: “And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her [his step-daughter Salome].” It is really quite astonishing that this powerful man, the leader of Galilee and Perea, would succumb to peer pressure, but he did. (No doubt the fear of crossing his wife, the hateful and hellacious harridan Herodias, also crossed his troubled mind.) The fact that this tyrant was so easily swayed by what his underlings might think is an eye-opening reminder of how anyone can be influenced by the wrong people for the wrong reasons to do the wrong things. Romans 12:2 kindly commands, “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” I Peter 1:14 affectionately adds, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” “Not fashioning yourselves” is the same Greek term translated “be not conformed.” Both of these verses are warning of the dangers of letting this old world press us into its mold (and it is moldy). Instead, let us remember that our Savior God is continuing to do the needed work of transforming us: “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Let us also remember that “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29b).