Unconventional Wisdom - Word Foundations

Jesus constantly surprised His hearers, saying many things they never expected. Here are some of Jesus’ surprising statements, presented in probable chronological order.¹

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake” (Matt. 5:11; see also Luke 6:22).
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:43-44; see also Luke 6:27-28).
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19-21).
“If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it” (Matt. 16:24-25; see also Mark 8:34-35; Luke 9:23-24).
“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matt. 18:3-5; see also Mark 9:36-37; Luke 9:47-48).
“Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15).
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it” (Mark 10:14-15; see also Matt. 19:14; Luke 18:16-17).
“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:11-12).
“Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all [those who gave large sums of money];for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had” (Luke 21:3-4; see also Mark 12:43-44).
As He was dying on the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

No wonder God said through Isaiah,

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:9).

And no wonder Paul said, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27).

A reproducible PDF file of this article is available here.

¹based on the work of John A. Broadus and A. T. Robertson, in their Harmony of the Gospels, and in revised editions of that work.

top image credit: Enrique Simonet, Head of Jesus, 1890