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 10:21 records Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler’s unspiritual assertion of righteousness: “Then Jesus beholding him, loved him, and said unto him, ‘One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’” This statement is a superb exposition of “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15a). Jesus personally “loved” this self-righteous sinner; there was nothing pedantic about His words, nothing trite nor formulaic. Instead, He was showing this wealthy man the desperate condition of his soul. A prevailing belief amongst the Jewish people of the first century was that a single great act could ensure salvation (remember verse 17c – “Good Master, what [what single great thing] shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”). When Jesus began with “one thing,” this man undoubtedly thought that he was going to be instructed to do one simple act of righteousness. Instead, Jesus called for a radical change. In telling this man to give away all his belongings, Jesus was not establishing a pre-condition for salvation. Rather, He was showing him that he had violated even the First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), for money had become his first love. Because Jesus “loved” this benighted man, He provided the light of truth. Because Jesus loves us, He will continue to be honest with us, as well.