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.)
A small seed can lead to a huge harvest, as Jesus teaches in Mark 4:26-29: “And He said, ‘So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.’” This parable, found only in this Gospel, confirms that farming takes patience. If a farmer walked into his fields the day after planting, he would see no sign of life. A foolish man would plow up the field, plant again, and repeat the same unfruitful process day after day. Eventually, even a really foolish man would just walk away and give up. However, a reasonable person knows that growth of any kind takes time. So it is in the spiritual realm – “the kingdom of God.” We need to be patient with ourselves, for we are still developing as Christians. The command of II Peter 3:18a is for all believers. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” We also need to be patient with unbelievers. For example, a person who has lived decades without a relationship with Jesus is unlikely to be persuaded quickly and easily to change. The seed must be planted, though. In that work, we are all God’s farmers.