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 Mark 4:41, the response of the disciples to Jesus’ miraculous calming of the dangerous storm on the Sea (Lake) of Galilee closes the account: “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’” This fear is respect and reverence, not their earlier timidity and trepidation. Such awe and wonder is always appropriate. However, their lack of understanding of the Messiahship of Jesus is somewhat puzzling. They had already heard significant portions of His authoritative teaching. Furthermore, they had been blessed with detailed private instruction by Jesus. Moreover, they had observed numerous miracles of healing; these miracles were at least as impressive as the stilling of the waves and wind. Perhaps because they are recipients of this miracle of nature, they are especially moved by it; but it seems to me that seeing fellow human beings cured of leprosy, paralysis, and other debilitating conditions would be even more compelling. What is clear, though, is that Jesus is able to astound and amaze even those who have spent much time with Him. May we never lose the wonder of Who He is – fully man, fully God, fully the Savior.