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.)
The overall response to Jesus’ miracle on the eastern shore of the Sea (Lake) of Galilee was distressing: “And they come to Jesus, and see him was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine, and they began to pray Him to depart out of their coasts, and when He was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, ‘Go home to thy friends [family], and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.’ And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel” (Mark 5:15-20). It is more than disappointing that the people in this region plead with Jesus not to stay but to leave immediately. Despite this irrational opposition, our Savior graciously sends this healed man to be an incontrovertible witness wherever he went in this predominantly Gentile region. We should not overlook the tender concern of Jesus for this lonely man: He sends him back to his family. We can only imagine the sheer joy of that reunion. No doubt his kin never expected to see him well again. Thus, his healing meets his need, authenticates the Messianic ministry of Jesus, blesses his family, and provides a testimony to thousands. Such is the comprehensive work of our Lord.