Jesus’ disciples walked with Him for years. They ate meals together and traveled those dusty roads. Despite years spent together, Jesus still consistently surprised his followers.
His disciples had a picture in their minds of what a Messiah would do. Jesus failed to meet their expectations. Sometimes, he did something as simple as making a choice that made them think again.
Here are nine times Jesus bewildered those closest to him.
He slept during a violent storm
They were crossing over the Sea of Galilee when a storm came. Waves were crashing over the sides of the boat, and water flooded in. Even the seasoned fishermen were scared out of their wits.
Jesus was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat. They woke him up and questioned how he could be sleeping when their lives were in danger.
They were more amazed by his peace than anything else. Amidst the raging storm, Jesus showed no sign of distress.
He called a tax collector to join them
Jesus approached Matthew while he was working at his tax collector’s booth and commanded him to follow Him. Matthew was despised by many because he took orders from Rome. Tax collectors were considered the lowest of the low.
Jesus’ disciples must have felt like they were going to explode when Matthew joined their ranks.
Jesus didn’t delay; He headed directly to Matthew’s place for a meal with many “sinners and tax collectors,” which surely created an atmosphere of unease among the other followers.
He stopped to ask, “Who touched me?”
As Jesus was walking through a very large crowd, someone touched Him. This person was a sick woman, and she touched the fringe of His cloak, and she was healed.
Everyone was pushing against Him, but He stopped walking and asked who had touched Him.
His disciples said that His question was foolish because so many people were pressing against Him. Jesus continued to look around until the woman fell down before Him and told Him what she had done.
Jesus then said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Jesus deliberately made the interaction public so He could address the woman.
He praised a foreign centurion’s faith
A Roman officer whose troops were occupying their land approached Jesus, asking Him to heal his servant. Rather than simply healing him, Jesus told the crowd that this foreigner had greater faith than He had found in all of Israel.
The disciples must have been flabbergasted. After giving up everything to be with Him, they were probably shocked that He was praising a soldier from the enemy force for his faith.
He said some would not taste death before seeing the kingdom
Jesus had told His closest friends that some of them would witness the Kingdom’s arrival before their time was up. Just six days later, He brought Peter, James, and John up a mountainside and He transformed.
His body shone with a bright, white light. There, they saw Him talking with Moses and Elijah.
This event is called the “Transfiguration of Jesus.” They were able to see the power that Jesus had promised them. The swiftness of the event validated Jesus’ words in the eyes of His followers.
He set his face toward Jerusalem
Jesus had made plain that He must go to Jerusalem, even though He knew He would suffer there. Scripture says He “set His face” to go there.
His decision was to head to Jerusalem, no matter what. His followers were terrified because they envisioned Him as a ruler, not a prisoner.
But Jesus marched boldly right to the place of danger. He did not turn back even though the followers were bewildered and afraid. He was determined to follow His will.
He restored the ear of the man who came to arrest him
As a crowd came to arrest Jesus during the night, one of his disciples defended him by cutting off Malchus’s ear. Jesus did not fight with them. Rather, he approached the wounded man and miraculously restored his ear.
Malchus was one of the men who came to arrest Jesus, but Jesus treated him with compassion. Everyone was amazed by this miracle and it proved that Jesus would not violently retaliate to save himself.
He refused to turn stones into bread
Jesus had gone forty days without food. He was literally starving. Satan asked Jesus if He would turn stones into bread. Jesus refused. Though He was hungry all throughout His body, He resisted.
One day soon, He would miraculously multiply loaves of bread to feed thousands. But right then, out there in that cruel desert, He didn’t want to benefit from His power.
He ignored a desperate woman at first
Once a Canaanite woman approached Jesus and asked Him to heal her daughter. Jesus replied with silence, not uttering a word. This baffled His disciples, who simply wanted the woman to leave.
Finally, Jesus broke His silence, saying it wasn’t fair to take the children’s food and give it to the dogs. Rather than becoming upset, the woman replied that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table.
Jesus praised her great faith, and healed her daughter immediately. However, he led her there in such a way that most of those present would have felt quite uncomfortable.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
9 radical teachings of Jesus that go against popular beliefs
Forget the safe, polished versions of Jesus we usually hear about. When you strip away the stained-glass filters, his actual words were often disruptive and deeply uncomfortable.
He didn’t come to pat us on the back; he came to dismantle our ideas of success, safety, and even family. Here are nine radical teachings that still deliver a shocking punch two thousand years later.
9 radical teachings of Jesus that go against popular beliefs
