The Gift of Life
Matthew 13:11a ESV
It’s that time again. Thanksgiving. Time to roast, fry or smoke old Tom. Time to watch the family come together and recall the old stories. It is also a time to make out our lists of what the Lord has done for us in the preceding year. But I would like you to pull up a rocker next to me and consider a truth from the lips of Jesus that is most precious.
The disciples asked Jesus why he taught the people with stories instead teaching them with a more direct approach. He responded with this surprising answer, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not…” Now the point of this article is not to explain Jesus’ approach revealed in his answer (you can listen to my recent sermon on Nov 24th to gain more insight- suncoastjax.org), it is to focus on the first part of his response. “To you it has been given…” Mysteries in the bible are truths that were once concealed that are now uncovered by God so that they might be freely known by all men. Jesus declares that these mysteries are a gift given to those who seek the kingdom.
This is the fact of the matter. We only know, what we know, as a result of the gift of revelation. It is as if we were blind and sitting alone in a dark room. We had no idea where we were or how to escape of dilemma. The truth is, we didn’t even know we were in a dilemma. A hand reached out to ours, guided us to door, and opened our eyes. We cried out to Him and He turned on the light. We, as believers, have nothing to claim for credit for knowing the truth and everything to praise God for in knowing the truth that we know. Gratitude is more than an attitude. It is a realization that all I possess in life is a gift that has been given quite apart from merit.
Jesus further told his followers that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what they saw and did not see it. Think of it. Moses, Abraham, Isaiah and all the others did not have what the humblest believer has today; possession of the truths of the gospel, the blessed Holy Spirit within and the abiding Christ. The knowledge of these things is beyond comprehension. So, as we rock back and forth together and allow the sun to warm our faces, let’s thank God together for the knowledge he has given us in this age of grace. Let us never forget in these dark days that the true light still shines and God desires for all men to come to the light.
