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.)
Mark 6:45-46 records Jesus’ withdrawal from a huge crowd: “And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people. And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray.” Jesus’ emphasis on prayer is both humbling and instructive. Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13a). Unlike us, He did not possess a sin nature (being fully God) and was not tempted by the multitude’s desire to make Him a merely earthly king. His impeccability (the certainty not only that He could not sin but also that sin had no power over Him) is absolute, but He did not see that attribute as a reason not to pray. Given that our needs are so absolute, we must see prayer as an essential weapon in our ongoing spiritual conflict: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 5:18). Thus, Jesus’ prayer becomes an example to us of dependence upon our Savior God. It also teaches us that prayer, at its very core, is simply communication. Jesus did not need to pray. He wanted to. He enjoyed talking with God the Father. If we view prayer as a task, it will become that – and nothing more. If we instead understand that prayer is a conversation with One Who cares for us now and eternally, it will remain an exciting and comforting aspect of our lives.