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.)
One of the most encouraging aspects of the character of Jesus is that He understands how hard our lives are. Of course, there are also many good things that are blessings in our daily lives, but life here is challenging. Isaiah 53:1-9 is a Messianic passage that predicts the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Note especially verse 3a: “He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Since Jesus is fully God, He is omniscient and knows the sadness caused by sin. He foretold in Genesis 3 that life would become hard, ending in physical death. He knew and was moved by this knowledge to prepare an alternative to eternal death, to everlasting separation. Thus, He promised His disciples in John 16:20b, “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” This omniscience is joined with the personal experience of Jesus, culminating in His sacrificial death on the Cross. Hebrews 4:15 assures us that “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” This full understanding of our sorrows and griefs is one of Jesus’ divine attributes, essential to His very nature. Thank you, Jesus, that You know us, care for us, and work on our behalf.