Readings for today: Leviticus 7:28-9:6, Mark 3:31-4:25, Psalms 37:12-29, Proverbs 10:5
Many years ago, a team of Jehovah’s Witnesses came knocking on my door. I love theological conversation so I invited them in. We spoke for a great while about the differences between my faith and their faith. They do not believe in the Trinity. They reject the divinity of Jesus Christ. They believe He is “a god” but not “God.” They do not understand why the One God would reveal Himself in Three Persons or how Jesus can be both fully God and fully human at the same time. It doesn’t make sense. It’s a paradox. And they clearly didn’t like it. After talking in circles for a while about these deep mysteries of our faith, one of them finally got a little frustrated and said to me, “How can you be so content with mystery?” What a great question!
In Mark 4:11-12, Jesus tells His disciples, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.” He is quoting the prophet Isaiah and recalling a time in Israelite history when they hardened their hearts to God’s Word. In response, God hardened them even further by sending a prophet who would seemingly speak God’s truth in riddles. Now I know that seems unfair. Like God is somehow withholding the means of salvation from His people. But this is simply not the case. The people of God had already rejected the clear teaching of God that came down from Mt. Sinai. Again, their hearts were hardened in unbelief and disobedience. God, in His righteous judgment, simply steps back and says, “Thy will be done.” And eventually the northern Kingdom of Israel is destroyed by the nation of Assyria. In the same way, Jesus looks out on the crowds who follow Him. They love His miracles. Love His teaching. Love the way He goes after the Pharisees. But they are spiritually blind. They do not believe. They had hardened their hearts and rejected God’s Word. So Jesus teaches them in parables. He, being God, simply steps back and says, “Thy will be done.” And the result is judgment.
Why does God do all this? Why is He so mysterious at times? Why does Jesus play things so close to the vest? He is acting according to His plan which He initiated from before the foundations of the world. Jesus is headed to the cross. He is going to let the judgment Israel deserved fall on Himself. He will bear God’s wrath. He will take the punishment. He will sacrifice Himself in our place. This is the great messianic secret. God sending His Only Son to die so the world might be saved. No one expected this. No one believed it even when Jesus made it very clear. They couldn’t fathom how the death of their Messiah would accomplish God’s will. They hardened their hearts to this truth and Jesus hardens them even further by teaching in parables. He must be thoroughly despised and rejected by humanity if He is to fulfill His prophetic call.
People still harden their hearts today. They refuse to accept the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Christ was crucified publicly. His death is a matter of historical record. Christ was raised publicly. He appeared to hundreds of witnesses in bodily form. He ate with them. Drank with them. He touched them. He spoke with them. No other adequate explanation has been given for the empty tomb and yet we still refuse to believe. We cannot accept the mystery of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection. It is beyond our understanding. And that’s why the writer of Hebrews will say, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” Repent and believe. Embrace the mystery of who God is and how He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ.
Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 9:7-10:20, Mark 4:26-5:20, Psalm 37:30-40, Proverbs 10:6-7