Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ—Ever the Same
We live in a day which screams, “diversity”—well, a mock diversity, really. For starters, it’s practically required that everyone declare their “subculture” thereby mandating diversity; and second and perhaps worse is the obvious fact that if everyone is so different, unique, and diverse, then no one can ever really standout. Strange as it may seem, the modern understanding of diversity has brought us into a sea of the sameness it abhors—a bland, “vanilla” landscape of human beings desperately trying to outdo one another in the most gaudy and offensive ways, all in the name of self-expression and faux liberation.
The Christian shuns this fleshly and pathetic understanding of diversity. He does not wish to standout by the clothes he wears or his hairstyle. If he has any desire to stand out at all, it is in the realm of godliness; but then again, the godly man or woman is so humble that he or she never recognizes their own saintliness but instead owns him or herself as the most wretched sinner of all. The Christian wishes to stand only in Christ his Lord that his blood may wash him clean and sanctify him for further service.
All of which brings us to our passage: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” It is not diversity that the Christian craves; it is sameness—or shall we say, permanence, faithfulness, and rest. Our Lord has ever been there. He was there in creation as the agent through which the Father made the world (1:2); he was there when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin’s womb that he may die and rise on our account; and he is there now at the Father’s right hand as our faithful High Priest, ever making intercession for us (7:25). And he was always with the Father and Holy Spirit from the “beginning”; after all, he is God (John 1:1).
And God doesn’t change; He doesn’t have to, He has no need to. Our Lord did add our humanity to his divinity, but in such a way that he never ceased being who he is but fulfilled the divine mission he was ordained to meet. And in doing so, he has proven himself faithful—not that he ever needed to prove such to unworthy men—but he does so out of his amazing grace. Thus, the Christian does not amuse himself with looking different; he satisfies himself with being found in Christ, he rejoices in looking like his Savior—not in appearance but in heart, mind, word, and deed. He says with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). So put aside seeking to be different, unless, of course, it is to be like Jesus.
