
Mark 8:21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
One of the most difficult things for me to admit is that I don’t understand something. I feel a little slow and ‘not too swift’. I know it is ego and I am working on that. When something seems ‘over my head’, I need to ask for a more basic explanation.
Jesus spent three years trying to get the apostles and others to understand what He was teaching. He oftentimes would take the disciples aside and give them more detailed explanations about His parables and teachings. Many times He said they were dull and slow of hearing. He told them they were hard-hearted and forgetful. This gives me hope that I may learn to understand more deeply the things of kingdom living and living under grace and mercy.
Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. One of the things that Jesus gave to the apostles after His ascension was the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
We, who have accepted the Sacrificial Lamb, have also been given the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit has given us the ability to understand far more of the Scriptures than those who reject Jesus. Their stubbornness will not allow them to accept their sinfulness and therefore, they must reject the message of the cross.
We, who are saved and redeemed, therefore have been given the Pearl of great price. We have access to the secrets hidden from the rest of the world. We can understand the gift of grace and mercy. We can open our hearts to the deepest wisdom of the Bible and share it with others.