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Matthew 13:11-17 (Isaiah 6:9-10) (December 19, 2004)

Key Verse: Matthew 13:15
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
       and their ears cannot hear,
       and they have closed their eyes-- so their eyes cannot see,
       and their ears cannot hear,
       and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me
       and let me heal them.'

Scripture quotation taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Jesus quotes this passage from Isaiah while explaining to his disciples why he teaches with stories, called parables.  However, he goes on to say in verse 16, “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.”  Without God’s presence in our lives, we are blind in this world, stumbling through life’s ups and downs without hope or direction.  Through God’s gift of Jesus, we can see and hear and understand, if we remain open to Christ’s teachings.  Jesus gives us glimpses into the very heart of God, where we see God’s desire for us to turn back and be healed and forgiven.

Jesus teaches us about God’s loving work using simple stories.  If you are not searching for God, these stories remain just simple stories.  However, if your heart is seeking God, these stories take on new meaning, explaining the mysteries of God’s desires, God’s work, God’s purposes, God’s very relationship with human beings.  Sometimes these stories seem ludicrous to those who don’t understand God.  A father, whose son takes his share of the inheritance while his father is still alive and wastes it on frivolous living, welcomes his son back with open arms.  Are you kidding?  In the eyes of the world, that kind of love makes no sense.  But, to those of us who believe, we understand the power of forgiveness, for we see with the eyes of faith.

Because we see with the eyes of faith, none of us can boast of our knowledge.  The knowledge and understanding we have comes from God alone and at times seems meaningless to the world.  Because such knowledge does not come from our own accomplishments or maturity, but from our simple faith, even children understand the mysteries of God.  Sometimes children understand better than adults because their trusting faith does not depend on seeing first, as their hearts and minds have not been tainted with skepticism.  As adults, we often say, “Prove it,” whereas children simply believe.  For children, as for God, all things are possible.

Christmas provides us with the perfect opportunity to rediscover our child-like faith.  In our scripture for today, verse 12 promises: “To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge.”  During this week, as we celebrate Christmas, remain open to what God wants to teach you.  Tune out for awhile the shouting voices of the world.  Set aside some time to be quiet in God’s presence and just bask in the love that sent us the greatest Christmas gift ever in Jesus Christ.  Reflect on the awe of Jesus Christ, who ultimately did prove God’s love for us by submitting to death on a cross because he trusted God’s power to raise him.  He trusted God to use his resurrection to make us one with God again, forgiving us and empowering us with the Spirit to serve God with all of our hearts. The gift of Jesus Christ truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Questions for Reflection

For further study: Please read Isaiah 6:1-13.  Look at the themes of guilt and forgiveness, God’s calling and its difficulty, and the hope that remains constant.

For next week: Read Matthew 2:1-12 and Micah 5:2.  Which comes first: faith or understanding?
 

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Last modified: 02/11/08