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 return to Mark 8:11-13 and the negative lesson of the hardened hearts of the harsh and hateful Pharisees: “And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting [testing] Him. And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith, ‘Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, “There shall no sign be given unto this generation.”’ And He left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.” Ultimately, Jesus did give the entire world a greater sign, His death on the Cross and His Resurrection – really, the greatest sign possible. What did the Pharisees do with that sign? They lied about it, made up a ridiculous story, and bribed the Romans (Matthew 28:11-15). Thus, no matter what Jesus might have said or done in Mark 8:11-13, these religious unbelievers would not have chosen to repent and to trust in Jesus. Their cavalier dismissal of Jesus as Messiah must be contrasted with His attitude: “He sighed deeply in His spirit.” His response reveals genuine grief at the Pharisees’ settled rejection of Him. His sorrow should remind us of His core kindness and should cause us to continue to grow in our love and appreciation of Him.