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.)
In Luke 9:51, the later part of Jesus’ ministry is delineated: “And it came to pass when the time was come that He should be received up, He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” From that time forward, the emphasis of His ministry was His impending and necessary death in Jerusalem. For about nine months, Jesus worked His way through Galilee, Samaria, Perea, and Judea (where Jerusalem was located). He continued to spend time with many people, teaching and healing. He did not travel in a straight line, instead going where He was needed. During this period, He covered all of the main regions of Israel, making Himself personally available to anyone who was even slightly interested in Him. Now, in the final week of His earthly ministry, He reaches Jerusalem: “And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sendeth forth two of His disciples” (Mark 11:1). Today, we might call Jesus mission-oriented. Even better, let us call Him a keeper of promises.