Chapter 43
BLESSED ARE OUR EYES AND EARS
(Matthew 13:16)
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come to You to thank You for giving us Your Word and sending Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins. In the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ we ask You to please reveal to us that as true born-again Christians You have granted us the privilege to see and hear many things Your prophets of old had longed to know.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin our study by reading the parable of the soils,
Matthew 13:1-9
"[1] 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.""
After hearing about the various types of soil, His disciples came and asked Jesus the following question,
Matthew 13:10
"[10] The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?""
Jesus' response to the disciples' question is recorded in,
Matthew 13:11-17
"[11] 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."
Within Jesus' response there are the following two major teachings: (1) The hardening of the eyes and ears of Israel and (2) The opening of the eyes and ears of Jesus' disciples. Since these topics are too large for one study we will explore the hardening of Israel in Chapter 44.
Thus, for this study we will focus upon the opening of the eyes and ears of Jesus' disciples. To do this we will,
1. Find that no Scripture is for one's own interpretation.
2. Review four great mysteries that the prophets of old had longed to know.
We begin by noting that the New Testament teaches us that,
NO SCRIPTURE IS FOR ONE'S OWN INTERPRETATION
This truth is clearly taught in the Apostle Peter's second letter. To see this let us read the following excerpt from Peter's second letter using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible,
2 Peter 1:20-21
"[20] knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, [21] for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
To amplify upon this truth we return to Matthew and reread the following blessing Jesus gave to His disciples,
Matthew 13:11a
"[11] He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, ..."
Notice, Jesus said that the knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven was given to them. In other words, the disciples' understanding or knowledge did not come from vast amounts of study or intellectual pursuits of their own volition. Another way to see this is by reading from,
1 Corinthians 2:14
[14] But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
As we read in 2 Peter, the understanding or knowledge of these mysteries or secrets could only be given by God. And as we just read in Jesus' response to His disciples, this is exactly what God did.
To further illustrate this truth, we will review three more examples.
For the first one let us recall that,
GOD THE FATHER OPENED PETER'S EYES TO RECOGNIZE THAT JESUS WAS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD
Jesus revealed this to Peter after they arrived in Caesarea Philippi. The circumstances under which Jesus revealed this to Peter can be found in,
Matthew 16:13-17
"[17] When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" [14] They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." [15] "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" [16] Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." [17] Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
The second example we will review occurred when Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared to two of His disciples. Jesus appeared to them while they were on their way to Emmaus and,
JESUS GAVE THE TWO DISCIPLES UNDERSTANDING
To read what happened we go to,
Luke 24:13-32
"[13] Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. [14] They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. [15] As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; [16] but they were kept from recognizing him. [17] He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" They stood still, their faces downcast. [18] One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" [19] "What things?" he asked. "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. [20] The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; [21] but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. [22] In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning [23] but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. [24] Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." [25] He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" [27] And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. [28] As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. [29] But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. [30] When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. [31] Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. [32] They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?""
Let us notice the following verses,
13-14 On their way to Emmaus two disciples were discussing Jesus' arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, burial and the fact that Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
15 In His resurrected body, Jesus came to talk with them.
16 Notice, the disciple's eyes were prevented from recognizing that the man walking with them was the risen Jesus Christ.
17-19 The two travelers still thought Jesus was only a prophet.
20-24 Still not knowing that it was Jesus who was with them, the two disciples shared with Jesus the events that happened in Jerusalem.
25-26 After listening to what the two disciples had to say, Jesus was dismayed. He was saddened because the two disciples did not understand or believe that what happened to Him in Jerusalem was all foretold by the Old Testament prophets.
27 Because of their lack of understanding and unbelief, Jesus taught them how the Old Testament foretold about the promised Messiah and what would happen to Him. Let us take note that this teaching came directly from Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. Let us also take note that we too have the same privilege when we take the time to sit down and prayerfully read the Bible.
28-29 Even after Jesus took the time to teach the two disciples about how the Old Testament spoke of Him; they still did not recognize Him.
30-31 While they were receiving the bread from Jesus, God chose to open their eyes and, as Peter, they now knew Him! Let us remember, it is the same for us. We may know a lot about Jesus; but, do we really know Him?
32 Notice again, it was Jesus who gave the two disciples understanding of the Scriptures. Also remember, as we read earlier, even though the two disciples felt they were in God's presence it was only after God opened their eyes were they able to know Jesus.
For the third additional example, let us read about the time when,
JESUS GAVE THE APOSTLES UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCRIPTURES
To do this let us now continue to read about the two disciples and what happened when they shared with the Apostles about their experience with Jesus Christ. To do this we go to,
Luke 24:33-38
"[33] They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together [34] and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." [35] Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. [36] While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." [37] They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. [38] He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?
Let us notice the following verses,
33-35 The two disciples returned to Jerusalem to share with the Apostles and those who were with them about their experience with Jesus.
36-37 While the two disciples were sharing about their experience with Jesus, Jesus stood in their midst. Upon seeing Jesus, the Apostles and those with them were frightened and thought they were seeing a ghost or spirit.
38 Jesus recognized the Apostles' doubts and fear. To clearly demonstrate that He was alive and had physically, that is bodily, rose from the dead, Jesus performed the following activities. To read them, we go to,
Luke 24: 39-44
[39] Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." [40] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. [41] And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" [42] They gave him a piece of broiled fish, [43] and he took it and ate it in their presence. [44] He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Let us notice the following verses,
39-40 The first thing Jesus did was to ask His followers to physically touch and feel Him. In so doing, Jesus was demonstrating to them that He was not a ghost or spirit but had physical form and substance. Furthermore, to insure there was no doubt that He was Jesus, He showed them His hands and feet. He did this so they could clearly see the marks that were left by the spikes that held Him to the cross. Let us recall that Jesus did a similar thing for the Apostle Thomas (John 20:27).
41(a) However, the people, including the Apostles, still did not believe.
41(b) - 43 To demonstrate He was not a ghost or a spirit, Jesus, in their presence, ate a piece of fish.
44 After Jesus performed the above demonstrations, He explained to the people how the Old Testament foretold of His arrival, the things He would do and His ultimate crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection.
Let us now return to the Gospel according to Luke and read,
Luke 24:45
[45] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures
THE MESSAGE
This brings us to the first of the two points or messages for this portion of our study which is,
Only God grants us the proper understanding of the Scriptures
This is beautifully summarized in the last half of the following Scripture,
Romans 10:17
"[17] Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
Perhaps a clearer translation of this verse comes from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible. It reads as follows:
"[17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."
Let us notice the following verses,
17a Faith comes by hearing or reading Gods Word, the Bible.
17b The ability to hear, which means to understand the Word of God, comes from God.
Therefore, before we read the Bible, it is imperative we prayerfully come before God and ask Him to grant us the understanding of the Scriptures we are about to read or study.
The second point or message for this portion of our study is that,
God the Holy Spirit will teach us all the things He wants us to know
To see this let us prayerfully read the following words from,
1 John 2:27
"[27] As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him."
It is true that God the Holy Spirit has anointed some to be teachers, prophets and preachers to help and encourage His people to come to a clearer understanding and knowledge of Him and His Word. However, it is also true that these servants of God are not to replace or supplant your daily, special, quiet time with our Lord reading and studying His Word, the Bible.
This brings us to the second half of this study, which is,
THE TRUE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER SEES AND HEARS THINGS THAT PROPHETS HAVE LONGED TO KNOW
To refresh our memories of this truth, let us reread the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in,
Matthew 13:16-17
"[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."
The above Scriptures raise the question as to: "What are the things we see and hear that the prophets and righteous men of old desired to know?"
As we read the New Testament we discover at least the following four great mysteries God has revealed to us.
The first great mystery we now see and hear is,
GOD'S PLAN AND PURPOSE
To see this let us go to Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus and read,
Ephesians 1:3-10
"[3] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. [7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace [8] that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. [9] 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."
Let us notice the following verses,
3 The true born-again believer in Jesus Christ has been blessed in the heavenly places with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4 Before He created the world, God chose us in Christ Jesus to be holy and blameless in His sight.
5 Because of His love for you and me God, through Jesus Christ, adopted us, the born-again believer, as His sons (daughters). To amplify upon this glorious blessing, let us read from,
1 John 3:1
"[1] How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ..."
Let us now return to Ephesians and notice the following verses,
6 In Jesus Christ we have received God the Father's Holy Grace. In other words, God the Father has extended His favor towards us.
7-8 Those of us who have recognized and accepted Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and the sacrifice He made on our behalf have received forgiveness for our sins.
9-10 The mystery of God's will is that in the fullness of time, God the Father will gather together all things and place them under one Head, even Christ. This is recorded in,
1 Corinthians 11:3
[3] But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
The second mystery of the ages we now see and hear is,
THE MYSTERY OF GOD, NAMELY, JESUS CHRIST
In his letter to the church in Colosse, Paul tells us that the purpose for all his struggles was so we could read, hear and know the mystery of God in Christ. To read what he wrote let us go to,
Colossians 2:1-3
"[1] I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. [2] My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
To expand upon this mystery, let us read how God the Father bore witness to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. To do this let us first read what happened after Jesus was baptized by John as it is recorded in,
Matthew 3:13-17
"[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. [14] But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" [15] Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. [16] As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.""
Let us notice the following verse,
17 God the Father proclaimed Jesus to be His Son.
On the Mount of Transfiguration God the Father also bore witness that Jesus Christ was His Son. This is recorded in,
Mark 9:2-8
"[2] After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. [3] His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. [4] And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [5] Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." [6] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) [7] Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" [8] Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus."
Let us notice the following verse,
7 God the Father bore witness to Peter, James and John that Jesus is His Son.
In reflecting upon the above events, the following question comes to mind: What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God? As we continue to read the Scriptures, we find that Jesus Christ is really God come in the flesh. Specifically, He is the literal fulfillment of all the promises God gave us about His coming to save us from our sins and restore us to His Kingdom. This is the significance of the virgin birth and is why Jesus is called Immanuel, which means, God with us. In other words, Jesus Christ is our Lord and our God. To see this a bit more clearly, let us read about the birth of Jesus Christ as given through the Apostle John in,
John 1:1-4
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
Let us notice the following verses,
1 The Word was God.
3 Through Him all things were made.
4 In Him was life.
Let us now skip a few verses and read from,
John 1:14
"[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Let us stop for a moment and reflect upon what we just read. The Word, which is another Name for Jesus (see Revelation 19:13), was and is true God. He set aside His preeminence, humbled Himself and took upon human flesh. He did this to come into the world we live in and save us from our sins and restore us to His Kingdom.
Now some skeptics have said that Jesus never claimed to be God. Actually, Jesus made it very clear to the Jews and now to us as to exactly who He is. To see this, let us read what happened, between Jesus and the Jews, during one of the feasts of Dedication. We find it in,
John 10:22-30
"[22] Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, [23] and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. [24] The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." [25] Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, [26] but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. [27] My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. [30] I and the Father are one.""
Let us notice the following verse,
30 Jesus proclaimed that He and God the Father are one!
Given the above discourse, the following question comes to mind: Did the Jews really understand what Jesus told them? To find out, let us continue our reading from,
John 10:31-33
"[31] Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, [32] but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" [33] "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.""
In other words, the Jews knew exactly what Jesus had said to them. Notice, the reason they went to stone Him was that He claimed to be God.
The third great mystery of the ages we now see and hear is that through the agency of God the Holy Spirit,
CHRIST IS IN THE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER
To see this glorious truth, let us read the following excerpt from Paul's letter to the in church in Colosse,
Colossians 1:25-27
"[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."
Let us notice the following verses,
25 God commissioned Paul to present to us, in its fullness, His Word. Consequently, all we need to know about God, His Kingdom and His plan for our salvation is contained within the Bible. The converse can also be stated, which is anything we read outside of the Bible may or may not be of Him.
26 The mystery that the Holy Spirit revealed, through Paul, has been hidden for ages and generations. However, now in God's special time it has been revealed to His saints, who are the true disciples of Jesus Christ.
27 In Paul's preaching and teaching to the Gentiles, God the Holy Spirit revealed through Paul that Christ (through the agency of the Holy Spirit) lives within the true believer or disciple of Jesus Christ.
To expand upon this wonderful truth and blessing we go to,
Galatians 4:4-6
"[4] when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, [5] to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. [6] Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father.""
The fourth and last great mystery for this portion of our study is,
THE MYSTERY OF THE RESURRECTION
To read a synopsis of what God has planned for all the true disciples of Jesus Christ let us go to,
1 Corinthians 15: 51-57
"[51] Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- [52] in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [53] For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. [54] When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." [55] "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" [56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
SUMMARY
The above four mysteries are some of the things that the prophets and righteous men of the Old Testament had longed to see, hear and know. Let us never forget that it was through them that God was foretelling about the things which we now hear and see. To see this let us read from,
1 Peter 1:10-12
"[10] Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, [11] trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. [12] It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things."
Even the angels longed to hear and see the things that have been revealed to the true disciples of Jesus Christ. What an incredible blessing and privilege we have been given!
With this in mind, let us close this study by reading the following words of praise,
Jude 24-25
"[24] To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- [25] to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Amen and Amen