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 are not quite done with our studies in “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). As we worked through this book, we came across nine uses of the word “Almighty.” This word is certainly one of power – really, of omnipotence. However, it is also a word of personal involvement, for the original Greek means “the One Who has His hand on everything.” That meaning is all-encompassing, an absolute statement. However, since God’s Word tells us of specificities that our Savior God has His hand upon, we should consider them carefully. The only occurrence of this word in the New Testament outside Revelation is found in II Corinthians 6:17-18: “’Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith the Lord, ‘and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,’ saith the Lord Almighty.” “Be ye separate” is literally “set boundaries”; in the immediate context (verses 14-16), it is a warning against pernicious close relationships. The irony is sadly strong: if we “touch” these people who are harmful to us, we are also endeavoring to push away “the One Who has His hand on everything.” What is better, to touch the forbidden or to be touched by the hand of God? The question answers itself. This touch of our Savior God brings us into His eternal family as “sons and daughters.” Certainly no wrong relationship here can match this everlasting and heavenly relationship with Jesus Christ.