And
the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in
parables?" Jesus answered them, "To you it has been
granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not
been granted. "For whoever has, to him more shall be
given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he
has shall be taken away from him.
Insights: Today’s verses tell us the purpose for which
Jesus told these parables. The purpose
was to conceal the truth from those who were perishing and to reveal spiritual
truth to those born again. Remember with
me the context of these verses. Matthew
has revealed Jesus to be King and the Jewish people have rejected Him and His
kingdom. As a result, Jesus has passed
judgment on the people, but at the same time has left them an olive branch for
reconciliation. As soon as He has
declared these actions in chapter twelve, He leaves the house and goes to the
sea. It is a visual peg on which to hang
the change in Jesus’ ministry from here on out.
He is now speaking to the crowds in parables and only in parables, but
to His disciples He explains the truth of these stories. Now, you get to today’s verses and
specifically verse twelve gives us great insight into this purpose of concealment
and revelation. Up to this point the
Jews had received some spiritual truth about Jesus, but after the climactic
moment when they accused Him of being from Satan, Jesus shifted His ministry
focus. At that point the truth they “had”
was taken from them and given to those who would have “an abundance.” These statements have nothing to do with
intellect. The disciples were not more
intelligent than those Scribes and Pharisees that were hearing Jesus tell these
parables. The difference was the
disciples had Jesus to explain the spiritual truths to them. If you are born again, then you have the Author
of the Bible living in you to interpret the Bible for you. You don’t have to have a seminary degree to
understand spiritual truths. You need
the Savior living inside of you to illuminate the Word of God. Beloved, this purpose ought to give you great
hope and joy if the Word of God is continually growing inside of you. If it is not, you may need to ask the Lord
Jesus if you are really His child.
Questions:
- Are you one who the Lord God’s Spirit has revealed the
truth of the parables, and therefore, you are growing in your relationship
with Jesus?
- Are you one who does not have a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus, and therefore, are growing deeper and deeper into your darkness?
Prayer: Father, thank
You that You have saved me. Increase my
joy in You and allow me to know You more fully than I ever have before. Amen.
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