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.)
Luke 12:49-59 uses compelling imagery to confirm that Jesus both joins and divides, depending upon our response to Him. In verse 50, Jesus states, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened [distressed] till it be accomplished!” Jesus knew what was before Him. He would sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44), be whipped to the point of death (Matthew 27:26), and be crucified on the Cross (Luke 23:33). He would suffer an excruciating physical death; even worse would be the spiritual death that He bore for each one of us, the separation from God the Father that caused Jesus to cry in Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Jesus’ distress preceded the actual suffering of the Cross; in fact, Revelation 13:8 tells us that He is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” This is real, extended distress. Yet, for each one who believes in Jesus, it is the basis of our salvation. We who were divided from our holy God are now joined to Him forever. The sad irony is that this eternal union was secured by the separation of Father and Son. Only thus could the great divide between God and man be spanned.