Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Synoptic Gospels 1: Messenger of the Covenant (6)
Pray Psalm 72.8-11.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
Sing 72.8-11.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
And let the Righteous rule the earth, and let His foes bow low;
let nations praise His matchless worth, and all His bidding do.
Read Mark 4.10-12; Matthew 13.10-17; meditate on Matthew 10.16.
Preparation
1. Why did Jesus teach in parables?
2. What did He want His disciples to know?
Meditation
Jesus taught in parables because He knew two things: First, to those whom God had given—or would give— understanding into the secrets of the Kingdom, the parables would ultimately make perfect sense, and would guide them in fulfilling their calling to the Kingdom and glory of God.
Second, for those whose hearts were set against Jesus, and who had made up their minds to destroy Him, the parables would make no sense whatsoever. God would prevent them from making the connections the parables require. They would regard the parables as nonsense, not because they were, but because the leaders had already decided against Jesus. God locked them out of the secrets Jesus had come to proclaim because of their hardness of heart.
Yet their hardness of heart did not thwart the Lord’s plan; instead, He used their hardness to accomplish the work of redemption, for in sending Jesus to the cross, they carried out God’s good purpose in making Him the sin-bearer for the world.
But for those who had eyes to see and ears to hear, Jesus would reveal to them the secrets that prophets and righteous men longed to know, but did not (vv. 16, 17). God’s Word is deliberately written to conceal its truth from those who would misuse it to their own ends. But He reveals His truth, and all the secrets of His Kingdom, to those who believe in Him and whom He blesses so that we might extend His blessings—and secrets—to the world.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but
the prayer of the upright is His delight.”
“The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but
He loves him who follows righteousness.”
“For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, but
His secret counsel is with the upright” (Prov. 15.8, 9; Prov. 3.32).
“They do not know nor understand;
for He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
and their hearts, so that they cannot understand” (Is. 44.18).
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29.29).
There is an onus upon those to whom the secret has been whispered. Knowing the Secret of the Kingdom of God requires that we live according to His will. And His will is for us to do His will. Just as He did the Father’s will:
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me” (Jn. 6.38).
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My father in heaven” (Matt. 7.21).
Some Christians, sadly, seem rather indifferent to knowing more and more of the secrets of God. They do not pursue getting to know the Word of God, they merely rest on the promise of salvation. But is this a good choice? Jesus said, “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Matt. 13.12).
Additional teachings of Jesus explain this principle further:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them,
will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came,
and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.
And great was its fall” (Matt. 7.24-27). And no one wants that outcome.
Jesus, the Messenger of the secrets of God, and Himself the great Secret, wants most of all for us to know Him. Intimately, to hear His voice, and His secrets. The way to be founded upon that Rock? To be His delight, His love, and hear His secret counsel? Immerse ourselves in His Word, the Scriptures, and pray without ceasing throughout the day. Keeping our minds and hearts set on Him. Daily, and to the end (Ps. 119.112).
In this mode of living, He “reveals His truth, and all the secrets of His Kingdom…so that we might extend His blessings—and secrets—to the world.”
Reflection
1. What are the most precious secrets you have learned from Jesus thus far?
2. How does knowing such secrets affect your love for Him?
3. How does loving Him more affect your daily obedience?
Christ declares that there are certain and elect men, on whom God specially bestows this honor of revealing to them his secrets, and that others are deprived of this grace. No other reason will be found for this distinction, except that God calls to himself those whom he has gratuitously elected. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Matthew 13.16, 17
Pray Psalm 72.15-19.
Jesus is the great secret of the Kingdom. He brings the Kingdom to us and transfers us into it. He gives us His Spirit that we might seek and increase in His Kingdom. And His Word reveals the secrets we need to live for the glory of God. Pray for greater insight to and understanding of the secrets of the Kingdom of God.
Sing 72.15-19.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right;
let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night.
And let the earth abound with grain, let fields His fame proclaim;
and may our King forever reign and nations bless His great Name.
Now bless the God of Israel Who wondrous works performs.
And bless His Name, His glory tell both now and forevermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. Do you ever wonder about what God’s will for you is? Patrick—echoing Paul—makes it clear, as you can see in last week’s Crosfigell. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, teaches us how to pray for the ministries of our church, beginning with worship. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
