THE NATURE OF JESUS
Jesus marveled (He was filled with wonder or astonishment) twice, once at the belief of the gentile Centurian and then at the unbelief of the people of His own hometown.
I constantly marvel at the true nature of Jesus. It’s because, like all of us, I am tempted to try to understand Jesus and His Words, thoughts, and ways based on what I know and see, which is entirely impossible.
Our finite minds can not even begin to comprehend God’s infinite mind. Why? Because as God spoke to Isaiah the Prophet: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts more than your thoughts”.
(Isaiah 55:8-9)
Jesus taught us about His nature through His Words and actions, which seem strange and difficult to accept. It helps to understand that Jesus is love. He loved you and me so much, just as we are, regardless of our sins. He voluntarily died the worst death anyone ever will to buy us eternal life with Him in His heaven.
Jesus washed the feet of Judas Iscariot and fed him, knowing that he was about to betray Him to the forces of evil.
Jesus forgave Peter after Peter denied Him three times.
Jesus forgave His executioners as He died on the cross.
Jesus taught us about His nature through the manner in which He handled the case of the adulterous woman.
The rulers of the Jews were trying to find a way to find Jesus guilty and to kill Him. So they hatched a brilliant plot to trap Jesus in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario.
It was against Roman law for a Jew to execute another Jew. However, Hebrew law demanded that a woman caught in the act of adultery must be stoned to death.
So they found a woman caught in the act of adultery, drug her in front of Jesus, and asked Him what should be done to her. The trap was sprung. If He ordered her to be stoned to death, He would violate Roman law, and they could try him for that. If He let her go, He would violate Hebrew law, and they could try Jesus for that crime.
“Now the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand in the center of the court, and they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women to death. So what do You say to do with her—what is Your sentence?”
They said this to test Him, hoping they would have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and began writing on the ground with His finger.”
However, when they persisted in questioning Him, He straightened up and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He stooped down again and started writing on the ground.
They listened to His reply and began to go out one by one, starting with the oldest ones, until He was left alone, with the woman standing before Him in the center of the court.
I believe that Jesus wrote each person’s individual sins in the sand so that everyone who looked down saw their sins listed, including the Pharisees who also left.
Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?” She answered, “No one, Lord!” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on, sin no more.”
(John 8: 2-11)
Think about this. Jesus was the only one qualified to stone the Woman. This is because Jesus was a Jew under the law until He fulfilled them on the cross. So He was required by those six hundred and three man-made laws to stone the woman.
Jesus violated their laws in favor of love and mercy. With
Jesus love trumps rules and regulations.
Obviously, Jesus knew it was impossible for the woman or any human to live sinless lives. Therefore, he meant for her not to commit the sin of adultery again.
One of Jesus’ most essential parables is the prodigal son’s parable.
Then He said, “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.’ So he divided the estate between them. A few days later, the younger son gathered everything he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and immoral living.
When he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to do without and be in need. So he went and forced himself on one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He would have gladly eaten the [carob] pods that the pigs were eating [but they could not satisfy his hunger], and no one gave him anything.
But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough food while I am dying here of hunger! I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy of being called your son; treat me like one of your hired men.”’
So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, was moved with compassion for him, and ran, embraced, and kissed him. And the son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
Note: Before the son said anything to the father, the father was moved with compassion and hugged and kissed him. The son’s practiced confession was never heard. The father was not interested in what the son had done.
But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe [for the guest of honor] and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet. And bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let us invite everyone and feast and celebrate; for this son of mine was as good as dead and is alive again; he was lost and has been found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
In this story, Jesus tells us who He is and how He operates. He doesn’t care about our confession of our sins. All Jesus requires of us is that we come to Him. He wants us to be willing to accept His forgiveness, just like the prodigal son’s father. Jesus loves us and accepts us just because we are His.
Our expectations must be fixed on the robe, the ring, the sandals, and the fatted calf. Jesus doesn’t want us to feel like lowly servants but to walk in the royalty of sonship of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, born anew in His infinite love for us.
Jesus’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and blessings are unqualified and infinite. They are not of this world.
That is why their depth causes us to marvel. He challenges us to accept them using the free gift of faith we received when we believed in and on Him. (2 Peter 1:1) He does not expect us to understand them. He only wants us to walk in them.
Do you live in this present moment joyfully celebrating the receipt of the great and precious promises of Jesus regardless of what you see, hear, touch, taste, or smell?
Do you believe Jesus has already given you the robe, the ring, the sandals and slaughtered the fatted calf for you?
He has.
