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.)
Jesus calls us His friends: “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). Moreover, He demonstrates what real friendship is like: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). More than laughter together, more than good feelings, more even than mutual strengthening, genuine friendship is characterized by sacrifice. Certainly the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is the eternal foundation of our everlasting friendship with Him. Romans 5:6-11 points out clearly that this relationship did not originate with us, for we were “without strength” and “the ungodly” (verse 6), “sinners” (verse 8), and “enemies” (verse 10). Still, Jesus provided “atonement” (verse 11), or reconciliation. This reconciliation ensures a relationship, a friendly relationship, a forever friendly relationship. Truly Jesus has shown us real, saving friendship.