“Hidden fromThem” – FBC Morning Light (11/5/2024)

Good Tuesday morning to you. Today in our Bible reading we're reading Matthew chapter 20, Mark chapter 10, and then Luke 18, end of chapter 18, on into chapter 19. I want to zero in on the account in Luke's gospel where Jesus for the third time tells his disciples that he's going to be crucified and rise again.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

So notice this, in Luke 18 verse 31, it says he took Jesus, took the twelve aside, and he said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.

Well, what are those things? For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon, and they will scourge him and kill him. Ah, and the third day he will rise again. Now this should have been really sobering.

I mean, Jesus was very clear here. He's not cloaking what's coming in any obscurity whatsoever. I mean, exactly what he says is exactly what happens. They're going to mock him, insult him, spit upon him, he's going to be turned over to the Gentiles for this to happen, they're going to scourge him, they're going to kill him, and then he's going to rise from the dead.

Now we know when we get to that portion in the Gospels that all of this took the disciples completely by surprise. Well, why? Well, verse 34 gives us some insight. Verse 34 says, They understood none of these things.

This saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. That is, they did not perceive, they couldn't put things together. They didn't understand what Jesus told them, the saying was hidden from them, and they did not know, or they did not understand, they did not perceive the things which were spoken.

Focus on that middle statement, the saying was hidden from them. I wonder how many times this is true on Sunday morning, or Sunday evening for that matter. I wonder, you know, if a pastor prepares, he studies, he presents the message that God's laid on his heart and given to him for those services, and you know, you come away and you wonder, I wonder if these things were hidden from their eyes.

Well, what I want to know is, and this is a good question, in what way were these things hidden from them, or why were they hidden, or how is it that they were hidden? Well, one answer could clearly be because God in his sovereignty kept a cloak over this, and kept, you know, blinders so that they couldn't see, they couldn't understand.

That's a possibility, but I think there can be other explanations for the hiddenness, why they did not understand these things. It could be because, you know, we live in a fallen world, and the God of this world blinds the eyes of people.

It could be because of some satanic influence, you know, being blinded by the world's objectives and so forth. Well, I'll get to that in a second, but possibly, I think, more likely, these things were hidden from their eyes because of their own preconceived ideas about what Messiah would do, and how Messiah would rule, and the timing of Messiah's rule, and the nature of his rule.

We're looking forward to an earthly kingdom, and that Jesus is going to get on that throne pretty soon. He was going to rule and reign on this earth now. Perhaps they were blinded by those things. Perhaps this was hidden from their eyes because of their values, what they considered to be most important, because of their objectives for Christ, as well as for themselves.

Ambition, Greatness, and the Kingdom

Now, I think we get a hint of that in Matthew's account of this. In Matthew chapter 20, verses 17 to 19, tell us the same thing. That Jesus told the disciples that he was going to be crucified, and he was going to rise again.

Now, Matthew doesn't tell us that the disciples didn't understand this, that this was hidden from their eyes. He doesn't tell us that. Luke tells us that. But what follows next is rather interesting in light of the fact that they did not perceive, they didn't understand that the things were hidden from them.

What happens next? It says in verse 20 of Matthew 20,. Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from him. And he said to her, What do you wish? And she said to him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand and the other on the left, in your kingdom.

What was her preconceived notion, and as well that of her two sons, that this kingdom is going to be a set up pretty soon, established pretty quickly. And Jesus said, No, this isn't mine, this isn't mine to give to you.

But then Jesus goes into, well, before what he says next by way of teaching, it says in verse 24 that when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with these two brothers. Why is that? Why is that?

Because they all wanted those positions. Who do you think you are that you should ask for these positions? I'm just as deserving of them as anybody else. But then Jesus gives some instruction. He says, You know the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and those who are great exercise authority over them, just like what you want, your objectives, your goals, what you want from me as well.

He says, It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

I think when you hear of this tussle between the disciples over greatness and positions and rank and the kingdom, and then Jesus explaining that, Look, the key to greatness is not a position of prominence, but it's a position of serving.

Just as I came to serve and give my life a ransom, I just told you men, I came to die, they're going to crucify me. Why is it that you didn't see this? Because they were blinded by their own objectives, their own self-interest.

Receiving the Word with Meekness

So again, I wonder how many times does this happen on Sunday morning? Oh, I don't know. God only knows, and I entrust that to Him. But I do think that we want to be careful not to allow our own selfish pursuits get in the way of our receiving the truth of God's Word.

I think this is critically important. Our Father and our God, I pray, open our eyes to see. Help us to put aside our selfish ambitions and our selfish desires to receive with meekness the Word that you give to us, we pray.

We ask this in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen. All right, well listen, have a good rest of your Tuesday. I trust the Lord will bless you. Good day.