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THE SECRETS OF THE KINGDOM!
More than thirty years ago Linda and I attended
a week long seminar at Glen Eyrie, the headquarters of the Navigators just outside
of Colorado Springs. As with the other participants we stayed on the grounds
of Glen Eyrie throughout the week and had no need, or time, to venture outside
the gate. But, if we chose to go into town for whatever reasons we were
given the secret code to the front gate so that we would have no problem getting
back in. To this day, I remember the code. It is xxxx.
Actually, I can't tell you. For the secret
code that allows someone to enter the grounds of Glen Eyrie is only given to
those who have accepted the invitation to attend a seminar at Glen Eyrie. It
is a revealed secret to those who have responded to what the Navigators have
to offer but is kept hidden from those who have no interest in their programs.
You see, when it comes to what the Navigators
have to offer, or for that matter any other organization that takes the Bible
seriously, there are no neutral parties. Just so with Jesus. Either
you embrace His claims and honor him as the Messiah, or you reject His signs
and sermons and attribute His power to demonic forces.
This is what we see happening in chapters eight
through twelve of Matthew's gospel. We see large crowds gathered around
him, but within the crowd many accepted him as the long-awaited king and others,
such as the Pharisees, accused him of being in league with Satan. He
was accepted by those who sensed their need for a Savior and rejected by those
who had life figured out.
In response to the growing unbelief of the religious
leaders, Jesus began to speak in parables - earthly stories with something significant
to say about the kingdom of heaven. The setting, as we see in the first
verse of Matthew 13, is on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. On
a sunny afternoon, on a picture-perfect day, it would've been a scene of tranquility. But
in reality, regardless of whatever the atmospheric conditions were, the context
in which the seven parables of Matthew 13 are given is one of growing hostility.
In Matthew 13:1 - 17 we read:
That same day Jesus went out of the house and
sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into
a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he
told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his
seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the
birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not
have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But
when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they
had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the
plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop
- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let
him hear."
The disciples came to him and asked, "Why
do you speak to the people in parables?"
He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever
has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have,
even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them
in parables:
"Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
"'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing
but never perceiving. 15 For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise
they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17
For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what
you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
Clearly, a corner has been turned. Jesus
is now unfolding new material in such a manner that not everyone will understand.
And he's employing a new method of teaching that heretofore he had never used. Yes,
he often employed metaphors, similes, and easily understood word-pictures. But
this is the first time that he ever told a story with a hidden message.1
In short, in the first paragraph we're told that
Jesus:
-
is addressing a larger audience.
-
is unfolding new material.
-
is using a different method.
But before we look at this new material we need
to look at the interaction between Jesus and his disciples. Out of sheer
curiosity the disciples pulled Jesus off to the side and asked him: "Why
are you speaking in parables?"
Quite frankly, they didn't understand the change
in his approach. Nevertheless, they must have been pleased with his answer. Because,
in essence verse eleven, as paraphrased by Eugene Peterson in The Message, reads:
"You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works.
Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been give to them."
The disciples may have been as pleased as punch
when Jesus said to them "To you the secret code of the kingdom has been
given, but not to the religious rulers and those who are simply curious." They
must have thought they were gifted learners. They must have figured they
deserved to be in the "gifted" program at the local synagogue!
Admit it, we all like that wonderful feeling when
someone calls us over and says, "I want to tell you something. Don't
tell anyone else as they really won't understand, this is just for you." Instantly,
we are all ears. After all, it confirms what we have suspected about ourselves
all along - we're actually smarter than the average "Gary" with the
ability to understand hidden things where others are simply clueless.
In reality, however, the disciples must have been
a little confused. For they didn't understand the first parable any better
than anyone else. They needed to be told what it meant. But
they were told, and to their credit they slowly realized that there is more to
hearing than meets the ear.
You see, in Scripture the word translated "secrets" in
verse 11 literally means "mysteries." It is a truth which cannot
be known by the normal exercise of human wisdom and knowledge. It is a
revealed truth, a truth which we will never understand unless the Spirit of God
opens up our eyes so that we can behold wondrous things.
We see this word used in a number of places
within the New Testament. Here are a few of them:
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery,
brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening
in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25
Now to him who is able to establish you by my
gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known
through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all
nations might believe and obey him- 27 to the only wise God be glory forever
through Jesus Christ! Amen. Romans 16:25 - 27
And he made known to us the mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put
into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-to bring all things
in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. Ephesians
1:9 - 10.
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and
I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions,
for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant
by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness- 26
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed
to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles
the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:24 - 27
Don't you remember that when I was with you I
used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back,
so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of
lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue
to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will
be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth
and destroy by the splendor of his coming. II Thessalonians 2:5 - 8
&
"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what
is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars
that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The
seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are
the seven churches. Revelation 1:19 - 20
So with the disciples, as with us, there is no
room for boasting of our superior intellect. If we understand the "mysteries" of
God it is because the Spirit of God, by his grace, has opened up our hearts and
minds to the Word.
In his reply, Jesus shared with the disciples
a fundamental law of learning. It is this: If additional truth is
to be taught, it can only be upon the truth that has been well-received; i.e.
is already fully known. The contrapositive of this statement is that if
truth is not fully known or has not been well-received, additional truth is not
possible and even what you have will be taken away.
Truth received and acted upon is enhanced. Truth
rejected and never used is lost. This is even true in the physical realm. If
we deliberately refuse to use one of our muscles, or we are unable to use one
of our muscles, it becomes weaker and weaker. The same is true spiritually. The
author of Hebrews in chapter 5 put it this way:
We have much to say about this, but it is hard
to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time
you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths
of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone
who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching
about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant
use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.2
Whether we put to use the truth we know or not
is the basis on which God determines growth or regression. Through "constant
use" some of the recipients of this letter were increasingly better able
to distinguish between good and evil. But through disuse, others had regressed
all the way back to infancy. Like it or not, to grow we must act upon the
truth we know even though we may not know, and probably don't know, the full
truth.
Now here is the amazing part, when you act upon
the truth you already know you will be twice blessed! First, when you act
upon the truth you know you will have the pleasure of seeing first hand that
God's word is righteous. You'll see fruit in your life and in the lives
of those around you. You will see righteousness played out and played
back into your life. Second, your ears will receive additional truth. You
will be given deeper insights into the righteous principles of God's kingdom.
Eugene Peterson in The Message paraphrases vv.
16 - 17 of Matthew 13 like this:
"But you have God-blessed eyes - eyes that
see! And God-blessed ears - ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets
and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are
seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance."
Wow!
Finally, on a practical note, let me tell you
how this may apply to us within the evangelical church. For the last two
decades we have worked hard at removing religious words from our official
vocabulary, words that might confuse an unbeliever or a carnal believer. Words
like "sanctification" or "omniscience." It is true
that these are big words that pastors could spend an entire sermon on and fall
short of exhausting what they say about us and God. But if we think dumbing
down the language is the key to bringing others to Christ or growing mature Christians
- were sadly mistaken. Instead we ought to be challenging them to act
upon what they already know, even if they only have partial knowledge. We
should be saying simpler words - words like, obey what you know even though you
don't know everything!
1 A metaphor is defined as a figure of speech in which
a word or phrase that designates one thing is applied to another in an implicit
comparison, as in "All the world's a stage" (Shakespeare). While
a simile is where two unlike things are explicitly compared, usually by means
of like or as, as in "So are you to my thoughts as food to life" (Shakespeare).
2 Incidentally, the phrase "slow to learn" comes
from two Greek words meaning "no push." In other words, spiritual
infancy is a self-imposed condition!JESUS & THE KINGDOM OF GOD 02/25/07 1
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