By Todd Paetznick, June 27, 2024

“Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NASB20).

Sometimes, it is hard for me to wrap my mind around Jesus always being the same when the Bible teaches that He existed before the earth was created, was born as a human, was raised from the dead, and has a resurrected body that will never again die.  He went through all the stages and changes people go through from His birth to His death.  So, the writer of Hebrews must have had something else in mind when describing Jesus as “the same yesterday and today, and forever.”  

Over the centuries, many views have described Jesus’s nature. Some say that He was fully God during His time on earth since He knew people’s thoughts, performed miracles, and knew His Father’s will. Some say He was fully human because He was born, slept, was hungry, and could be killed and die. The theologically accepted position describes Jesus as fully God and fully human, which is another concept difficult to fully understand.  He is not just God, not just a man; He is both.

Why does any of this matter as we go to work this morning, make our to-do lists, and contemplate our agendas for the day?

The unchanging nature of Jesus is about His character, not His appearance. His form may have changed, but his character never did. What we see of Jesus’s nature in the Old Testament, pre-incarnation (birth as a human baby), is the same thing we see written about Him in the New Testament, and the same thing we can expect from Him now and in the future.  When we understand that Jesus’ nature is unchanging, it refers to His character.  We can expect that He will be consistent and unchanging; His character will remain the same.  

As Christ-followers, our character should also not change. When we go into our offices, talk with customers, care for our families, or whatever our day looks like our character matters and should be consistent regardless of what we are doing. We should be the same person at home, at work, at church, or wherever we may be. We should be concerned about not having that type of consistency in our lives.

In 1896, Charles Sheldon wrote a book titled, “In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?”  The book had a resurgence in the late 1990s that included the fad of wearing bracelets with the letters “WWJD” to remind the wearer to consider the actions that Jesus would have taken in a similar situation.  Sheldon’s book focuses on everyday situations that people encounter and are challenged to do the right thing, what Jesus would do.  Following Jesus’ example has also been applied to business management.  Jesus frequently interacted with people in the marketplace and not just in the synagogues.  He went to where the people were and interacted with them there.  He taught His followers to model His example of moral living and compassion.  

Jesus lived a life of consistency that should be a model for our lives.  How confusing would it be if Jesus behaved differently in the Temple than He did while talking with fishermen along the Sea of Galilee?   It is because of His consistency and His unchanging nature that we can have confidence in doing the right thing in our homes, at work, and in our churches.