As I prepare my next outline for the students in the Bangladesh Ministry I support, a few thoughts came to me I would like to share. Just so you understand where I am coming from, I'm concluding my study on the seven parables of Matthew chapter thirteen. Specifically the final three parables which culminate with two examples of those willing to give up everything , and a final sobering point about the day of reckoning when mere pretenders will be separated out from the true believers and cast into hell.
Like the the theological giants who came before us, we too look at the teachings of Jesus in order to better understand HIS wisdom. Yet after 2000 years of scrutiny by uncountable theologians, I still find a rich storehouse of treasures awaiting those who are patient seekers. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew unearths some of these nuggets of treasure for some to see while seemingly concealing others for those who have trained their minds to hear the scriptures in light of the reality of the kingdom of heaven. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew is trying to train us how to properly read Scripture in the light of how Jesus taught and shared wisdom. He does this in order too give us a treasure map, if you will, of how to locate the storehouse of treasures that include the pearls of exceeding value.
As you continually read the Scriptures daily, and then read them again, and again, and again, you will begin to see how the mental images of the parables reveal pearls of wisdom. Wisdom, Jesus shared in earthy tales of sowing seeds, dealing with tares in a wheat crop, baking bread with and without leaven, and fishing for men. All this while delighting in the presence of the kingdom of heaven in unexpected ways, while still living in the midst of a fallen world. Perhaps that's why patient seekers continually unearth nuggets of unexpected treasures in these parables some 2,000 years after they were spoken by our LORD.
Some may think that after 2000 years there isn't anything more we can learn. Yet, some lessons Jesus taught could only be understood in the times they are meant for. When you realize the omniscience of GOD, you then understand how HE knows all things. The past, the present, and the future, and the potentialities of any and all situations. God knows every person’s thoughts, dreams, and desires before we even think of them. GOD knew we would one day create the ability to destroy millions of our fellow humans with the push of a button, thus he taught in a way so all people throughout history would understand things when they are ready to understand.
This should be easy to understand for us, since we, living in the future from when so many prophecies were recorded, now see in hindsight what they pointed to. Many alive when Christ walked the earth could not grasp the understanding of Isaiah's writings which pointed to Jesus. Just as they could understand HIS prophecy that one day Herod's Temple would be destroyed, or how to understand the visions John received while on the island of Patmos. Today we have a clearer understanding of things eluded to in ancient writings. Some things that are common knowledge to even the most uneducated human today, were totally confusing to those who lived in the first century A.D.. Back then, even the most brilliant mind could not understand such matters. Thus, some things taught by Jesus were meant for future generations.
This is what I mean by still uncovering nuggets of wisdom that helps us to understand the teachings of Jesus better today than the best theologians could even 100 years ago. Yet, even at that, GOD still closes off the minds of those who are of the same mindset of the Pharisees who could not understand the parables Jesus spoke. No matter how good a pastor is at expounding upon the Scriptures, if GOD does not want an individual to hear the truth, they will not. If that is the case, then it is because GOD knows that regardless of how long they live, they will be like Pharaoh who saw the miracles of GOD performed yet still refused to believe. Thus GOD gave him over to his own desire.
It's my prayer that all of GOD's children would read the Scriptures daily, like a prospector digs for gold. Get up early and start searching for that one nugget that will make your day, your year, your life. Yet, instead of riches that will be left behind while you are with the LORD, the treasures I desire for you to search and find are locked inside the pages of the Scriptures. Wisdom spoken to your heart by the LOVER of your soul. Read the Scriptures, study the Scriptures, write what you learn in a journal to put it into your memory bank, and then read again and study some more. One day, the LORD willing, you could be 90 years old or older, but I promise you will still be finding treasures of knowledge and pearls of wisdom in the Scriptures.
I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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