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.)
When Jesus must rebuke us, it is a serious matter, for He is not an authoritarian, tyrannical despot. For example, He “giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (I Timothy 6:17). Thus, when He says things to us that we do not like to hear, they must be crucial. One of my favorite verses is Mark 10:45, where Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” This ministry statement is compelling. When we place it in the immediate context, it is even more convicting. The disciples (all of them – see Luke 22:24) were arguing about who would be the greatest (verses 35-41). Especially poignant is that Jesus was “going up to Jerusalem” (verse 32) to die on the Cross, as He specifically told the disciples (verses 33-34). Instead of thinking about Jesus, they all wanted recognition. Jesus says “No!” to this plain old selfishness – and provides a better way (verses 42-44). Lord, deliver us from the desire for attention, and may we serve as You did, with the humble attitude of a servant.