“This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand.’ In them is fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’” Matthew 13:13-15
What an interesting reason for Jesus to tell stories! So if he had come in our time, who would understand?
“I would! I’ve gone to church all my life. I’ve been to Christian schools. I have acquired a Master’s degree and have a sharp mind. I’ve dedicated myself to Christian education. And, perhaps most importantly, if I really want something, I usually get it. I know how to win and rarely do I fail.”
If I made this argument to prove that I would be quite adept at understanding the stories of Jesus, he just might say, “But you are really deaf and blind.”
The religious of Jesus’ day, who knew much more Scripture than I’ll ever know, were ignorant about the Kingdom the Rabbi proclaimed. They were ‘first’ in their community, but Jesus declared “the first will be last.” Even the members of his own physical family did not seem to have advantage. In his mother’s and brothers’ hearing, Jesus asked, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
And if we think the closest disciples had it easy, these words should correct us: “Are you still so dull?” “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand?” “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus knew there were educated Jews in Israel, but he chose the uneducated. Jesus knew there were wealthy who gave of their abundance, but he chose to praise the widow who contributed two mites. Jesus knew there were those who had memorized Scripture and were viewed as ‘spiritual’, but he chose to reveal himself to a woman with a sinful past at a well in Samaria.
If we look at these stories and keep in mind the parables, we might conclude that God Himself holds the key to who understands and who does not. So a little orphan in Kenya might be walking much closer with God than an experienced Christian teacher in America.
“Preposterous!” I argue. “The orphan knows nothing! How can you propose that a child in the midst of poverty can have more spiritual life than one who has studied as much as I have? I know the meaning of the parables! I would not have been like the disciples who often missed the main points. I’ve read and memorized the Word since I was a boy and now I miss no opportunity to hear the best and brightest speakers in Christianity. I often give to help the orphans in Africa, but I don’t think they are closer to God than I am.”
“When you read my Word, do you miss my tenderness toward the broken and my resistance to the proud? Have you noticed my value on weakness and my disdain for ‘human’ strength? The ‘Father to the fatherless’ can give understanding in an instant to whomever he chooses. You who think you know so much aren’t as wise as you suppose. People have not changed much since I walked the earth… and my Father has not changed at all. Hearing great speakers, sitting in beautiful buildings with the most advanced technology, and attending splendid conferences does not give you great advantage in his eyes. He wants you to know him… and to do that you must come straight to me. The person who does this in the poorest nation on earth is better off than the person who goes his own way in the richest.”
“I am sorry, Lord. You are right. I realize I sometimes struggle with pride. So what do I do?”
“Humble yourself, my child. Camp out at the Cross. It’s hard to be proud there.”
“At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.’” Matthew 11:25-28