Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.” (Matt. 13:34-5 WEB)
Jesus was quoting Psalm 78:2. The whole psalm recounts the mighty ways in which God has delivered His people throughout their history. Now the greatest One of all is speaking to them: the ultimate Deliverer and Shepherd, the Messiah.
Jesus was revealing this greatest work of God to date: the Kingdom of God was being established before their very eyes. The crowds came to Jesus for many reasons: to see someone healed, to be healed, to hear a positive word, to be amazed or entertained, to be a part of something new and exciting. Good reasons? Maybe. But a deeper purpose exists. Jesus says:
From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. If you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matt. 11:12-15 WEB)
The New International Version puts it this way:
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.
Do you see what Jesus is saying to the disciples?
The Law and the Prophets’ purpose was to advance God’s retaking of this planet. The sin of Adam and Eve handed this planet over to Satan; he is called the “prince of this world.” God, in Jesus, has invaded battlefield Earth and is reestablishing His rule over it. All of the creation groans under the yoke of sin:
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:22)
Ever since man was driven from the Garden, God has sought to reestablish His relationship with His errant children. He instituted a covenantal relationship with mankind. He revealed Himself through His commandments on how a sinful man is to approach a holy God. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:
God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high… (Heb. 1:1-3 WEB)
Jesus is saying that the kingdom of God is advancing, and those who are eager and willing to really seek, ask and knock will see the very heart of God. Those who are relentless will see His purposes and love for mankind, and will gain a deeper insight as to Who God is. How so? Because Jesus, standing before the crowds and the disciples, is God Himself wrapped in frail, human flesh.
The disciples are on the front lines, so to speak, of this final and most powerful advancement God has made into this Earth: The disciples are seeing God Himself. The General has become a Soldier.
What are those things “which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world”? Here it is: God Himself will walk amongst us and write His Law upon our hearts:
Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more. (Jer. 31:31-4 WEB)
God has never forgotten His covenant with His people. Each phase of His covenant continued the relationship with His children. God’s redemptive history culminated at this moment when Jesus appeared, pointing the way to the New Covenant: God Himself would pay the price for our sins upon the cross. God Himself would redeem us to walk as sons and daughters under His amazing grace and power. God Himself would dwell in us.
Jesus explained the parables to the disciples once the crowds dispersed. But even after a while, He grew weary with their constant questioning. Why? He wanted them to ponder the stories themselves and to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate their thoughts.
He also wanted them to understand He was the fulfillment of the Father’s covenant with mankind. He was and still is the New Covenant.
He did want the disciples to simply walk off with a quick and easy, “Oh, That’s what it means!” in their heads. He wanted them to go deeper, beyond the stories into what was being revealed in Him.
He wants no different for you and I.
Jesus wants us to spend time at His feet. We are not to run off to read some commentary or ask someone else. He is faithful to show us if we are faithful to show up.
Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matt. 7:7)
Those are very active verbs: “ask,” “seek,” “knock.”
We engage and He will respond. If we really want to know the heart of God, we must get off our spiritual duffs and put our mental to the metal.
Let’s lay hold of the Kingdom forcefully by knowing even better Who God is, what He expects from us and how much He loves us.
He also wants us to understand how He has never stopped honoring His covenant with mankind. He is always seeking reconciliation with us, and expects us to honor our side of the agreement: to accept His Son into our hearts and walk in obedience to His precepts.
Ever since man was driven from the Garden, God has sought to reestablish His relationship with His errant children. He instituted a covenantal relationship with mankind. He revealed Himself through His commandments on how a sinful man is to approach a holy God. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:
God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high… (Heb. 1:1-3 WEB)
Jesus is saying that the kingdom of God is advancing, and those who are eager and willing to really seek, ask and knock will see the very heart of God. Those who are relentless will see His purposes and love for mankind, and will gain a deeper insight as to Who God is. How so? Because Jesus, standing before the crowds and the disciples, is God Himself wrapped in frail, human flesh.
The disciples are on the front lines, so to speak, of this final and most powerful advancement God has made into this Earth: The disciples are seeing God Himself. The General has become a Soldier.
What are those things “which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world”? Here it is: God Himself will walk amongst us and write His Law upon our hearts:
Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more. (Jer. 31:31-4 WEB)
God has never forgotten His covenant with His people. Each phase of His covenant continued the relationship with His children. God’s redemptive history culminated at this moment when Jesus appeared, pointing the way to the New Covenant: God Himself would pay the price for our sins upon the cross. God Himself would redeem us to walk as sons and daughters under His amazing grace and power. God Himself would dwell in us.
Jesus explained the parables to the disciples once the crowds dispersed. But even after a while, He grew weary with their constant questioning. Why? He wanted them to ponder the stories themselves and to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate their thoughts.
He also wanted them to understand He was the fulfillment of the Father’s covenant with mankind. He was and still is the New Covenant.
He did want the disciples to simply walk off with a quick and easy, “Oh, That’s what it means!” in their heads. He wanted them to go deeper, beyond the stories into what was being revealed in Him.
He wants no different for you and I.
Jesus wants us to spend time at His feet. We are not to run off to read some commentary or ask someone else. He is faithful to show us if we are faithful to show up.
Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matt. 7:7)
Those are very active verbs: “ask,” “seek,” “knock.”
We engage and He will respond. If we really want to know the heart of God, we must get off our spiritual duffs and put our mental to the metal.
Let’s lay hold of the Kingdom forcefully by knowing even better Who God is, what He expects from us and how much He loves us.
He also wants us to understand how He has never stopped honoring His covenant with mankind. He is always seeking reconciliation with us, and expects us to honor our side of the agreement: to accept His Son into our hearts and walk in obedience to His precepts.
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