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.)
The logical language of the Lord Jesus Christ continues to abound and astound. In Mark 10:45, Jesus said of Himself, “For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.” The self-designation “Son of Man” is drawn from Daniel 7:13-14 and is used over 80 times in Scripture to affirm the full humanity of Jesus. The logic of Jesus’ offer of eternal salvation is compelling. First, we cannot save ourselves from our sin; we need a Savior. Second, the Savior must be fully human in order to be an acceptable substitute (“a ransom”) in taking our deserved punishment. Thus, He must be “the Son of Man.” Third, the Savior, in order to be our perfect substitute, must also be fully God. The Virgin Birth of Jesus ensures His full divinity; He is the “Son of Man” and the “Son of God” (Matthew 16:16 and numerous other verses). To save us from our sins, Jesus must be both like us and unlike us. Everything about the plan of salvation makes sense – perfect sense.