The Unpredictable Jesus

It becomes clear very early in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, you can’t put him in a box and make him fit into some type of spiritual leader stereotype. One minute he is being tempted by the devil, the next he is curing a leper. During the first part of one week he spends a few days socializing at a wedding, while in the latter part of the week he turns the Temple in Jerusalem into bedlam. To a ruined woman at a well he tells her straight out he is the Messiah, the Promised Savior of the Old Testament. To a wealthy, aristocratic religious leader he seems to speak in riddles. Jesus…you can never predict what he is going to do.

We might think we would like a Jesus we can figure out. Probably because that would mean we could then control him so that he would do what we want. But maybe that is just the point. As God himself in a human body, Jesus brings a totally different view and purpose to human life. And we can be pretty sure it is going to be very different from ours.

This past week in our daily readings of the Story Bible we accompanied Jesus during the first year of his public ministry. In that short time, he said and did so many things; he changed so many lives. But above all, he came to bring change which only God could.

If you are looking for a god who will pat you on the head, commiserate with your problems and then, with a Grandpa-esque wave of a hand magically take away all your problems so that you can live life on your terms, you won’t find him in Jesus. Yes, there is powerful empathetic emotion in Christ’s dealings with people, but above all, he does everything possible, everything necessary to get them to heaven – that’s what he came for. Sometimes he was gentle, sometimes his methods were tough, but above all, he came to rescue us and that’s exactly what we see him doing.

Join us for one of our weekend services. Be ready to be surprised by the unpredictable Jesus.

Saturday evening service – 6:00 pm
Sunday morning service – 10:00 am