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.)
Yesterday from Isaiah 59, we saw in part how Jesus brought about the miracle of new and eternal life, as He perfectly fulfilled the role of Kinsman-Redeemer (verse 20 – “Redeemer”). It is also instructive to consider a couple of references in this passage and how they pertain to the Cross. First, note again the use of “hand” in verse 1. On the Cross, it certainly seemed that “the LORD’s hand “was “shortened.” In fact, His hands were nailed to that Cross, and His spike-shattered hands remain scarred (John 20:27). These scars are a visual reminder of the cost of Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice, a reminder that our sin necessitated His death on our behalf and in our place. Second, the mention of His “arm” bringing us “salvation” is interesting. The “arm” is a symbol of power, but the arms of Jesus were spread out on the Cross. There did not appear to be any power at all in those arms; in fact, Jesus did not even have the physical strength to carry His own Cross to Calvary (Luke 23:26). The religious leaders “derided Him, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the chosen of God’” (Luke 23:35). Of course, had Jesus saved Himself, he could not have saved others, and His arm would not be an arm of salvation. These seemingly small details in Isaiah 59 remind us that God’s plan of salvation has been fulfilled just as He said. We are also reminded that the death of Jesus accomplished life for all who place their trust in Him, life “from henceforth and for ever” (verse 21). May we never lose the wonder of Who Jesus is and what He has done for each one of us.