Simple stories with deep meaning. Scholars found them offensively simple, but the simple found them profoundly insightful. And that was the plan.
"To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted." (Matthew 13:11)
I remember the first time I heard two people in deep conversation about computers. I had no idea what DOS prompts and commands meant (this really dates me) . Since I had no idea as to the basic premise of their discussion, it all sounded like some foreign language I knew nothing about. Later, as I became more knowledgeable about computers, discussions such as this were enlightening rather than confusing.
Jesus' parables are like that. If we don't understand His basic premise, then the stories are nonsense; they are like jokes without a punch line. And, as a result, "YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE" (Matthew 13:14; cr. Isaiah 6:9)
Jesus has granted to the receptive the ability to understand "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven". A mystery is a revealed secret; something not previously understood. Growing seed in various kinds of soil, wheat and weeds, mustard seed, yeast in dough, treasure in a field, a priceless pearl, and a fishing net, all reveal "the mystery". And the mystery really is unexpected; it is the truth of a realm not seen, but real nonetheless. The mystery explains that the Kingdom HAS come, but not fully. Its presence opens up unprecedented opportunities for the miraculous; for radically changed lives; for renewal of relationships; for permeating influence. The "mystery" explains that an event is also an era; that the kingdom is more than a point on a line; it IS the line.
Jesus' simple stories offer insight to the simple, but also unfathomable depth to the scholar. Above all, they reveal both a realm and a hope that enrich our lives beyond measure.
May the mystery be clear and its implications powerfully motivating.
Pastor Steve
"To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted." (Matthew 13:11)
I remember the first time I heard two people in deep conversation about computers. I had no idea what DOS prompts and commands meant (this really dates me) . Since I had no idea as to the basic premise of their discussion, it all sounded like some foreign language I knew nothing about. Later, as I became more knowledgeable about computers, discussions such as this were enlightening rather than confusing.
Jesus' parables are like that. If we don't understand His basic premise, then the stories are nonsense; they are like jokes without a punch line. And, as a result, "YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE" (Matthew 13:14; cr. Isaiah 6:9)
Jesus has granted to the receptive the ability to understand "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven". A mystery is a revealed secret; something not previously understood. Growing seed in various kinds of soil, wheat and weeds, mustard seed, yeast in dough, treasure in a field, a priceless pearl, and a fishing net, all reveal "the mystery". And the mystery really is unexpected; it is the truth of a realm not seen, but real nonetheless. The mystery explains that the Kingdom HAS come, but not fully. Its presence opens up unprecedented opportunities for the miraculous; for radically changed lives; for renewal of relationships; for permeating influence. The "mystery" explains that an event is also an era; that the kingdom is more than a point on a line; it IS the line.
Jesus' simple stories offer insight to the simple, but also unfathomable depth to the scholar. Above all, they reveal both a realm and a hope that enrich our lives beyond measure.
May the mystery be clear and its implications powerfully motivating.
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 7:36 AM
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