I was reading today in Matthew 13: 15 which says, “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”  I began to reflect on this scripture and what our precious Lord Jesus was saying, and I thought this revelation was interesting.

In essence, He is having a conversation with His disciples on His reason for speaking in parables and essentially, He says, I have to build their faith so that they will see me not for what the law is, but rather for what He (God) is and for what I have come to do, i.e. salvation through Christ.  As I reflected on this, I began to realize something.

To the believer, the Scriptures are somewhat a mystery as to their full understanding.  Regardless of whether you use a traditional translation or one of the more modern ones, it still is in part a mystery to understand the Scriptures in full with the naked eye.  For example, we may know that to make a cake we have to have certain ingredients; however, if we have never actually baked a cake (me included here), and know how to interpret a recipe, we may not have the first clue of how to actually put the ingredients together. 

The same is true for the scriptures.  Although we may read them, if we only take them at face value, we have missed the fullness of all that the Word has for us.  We need to understand that we have to, and I mean have to, have the Holy Spirit to help us understand what we have read.  Yes, He is our comforter, but He is also our interpreter to all that is in-depth to who He is, and what He is about.  It is critical to understand that depth comes by reading and understanding who and what He is.

Yet, even while I was reading the scripture, the Lord began to speak to me about something more critical, which is why I am writing this to you.  If you have a bible, turn with me to Romans 10:14 or better yet, here it is… “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”  Yet, here is my point.  For some of us, we sit week in and week out listening to a minister interpret and preach on the scriptures.  For some of us, we even have a deep understanding of what the Word means.  Further still, some of us even teach in our local congregation.  While that is good, let’s look back at what Paul is saying… “How shall they hear WITHOUT a preacher?” The reality is this….THAT IS YOU!  You are the preacher!

Any way we want to look at it, it is true.  We can’t simply ignore the truth hoping that it will go away; rather what we are to do is to know the truth and allow it to set us free, and then allow that same truth to set others free.  The reason, in part, that Jesus spoke in parables is written in Matthew 13; so that we, the church, could go and interpret for those that need interpretation.  We have to understand that when the Lord spoke it into existence, He spoke it for a purpose - for us to make a distinct decision to go out and be a witness for Christ.  They’re not going to hear if we don’t get out there and tell them! It truly is that simple.  Really it is. 

I sat with a friend some time ago who argued the existence of a real hell.  The scripture plainly states in Matthew 25:41-46, there is an eternal punishment, and hell does exist.  Yet, during the midst of the conversation, I realized that this person did not have the acceptance of that fact simply because she had never been taught.  How sad that is.  That either reflects on the life of the church in general, or a combination of both the Christian and the church.  Regardless, we have to get busy!  The time is now, the time is short, and you are here for such a time as this. So go forth and be that voice in the wilderness crying out!  “…Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” John 12:13

God bless you, and thanks for taking the time to read.

Kevin Hull

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