JUNE 04 JQ#14-5: “Have you understood all these things?” The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

JUNE 04    JQ#14-5: “Have you understood all these things?”

365 Prayers to JESUS 

Jesus, thank You Lord for the strength You give me each day to “arise and walk”, thank You for just being able to get out of bed and get out of the house and most of all, the ability to “enjoy” this wonderful world You have Created but man has defiled. Lord, I pray that You will grant it in my life that as I go through the day that my “spiritual” eyes will be open to the beauty and mystery of Your world that I may have the “Joy” and “Peace” that comes from “knowing” the Father -- and above all desires, I desire to “understand with my heart” the Love of God and that with my “understanding” will come “Sharing” of the blessings You have showered on us.       AMEN

The Jesus Questions

JQ#14-5: “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus is teaching us the importance of “understanding” His lessons and Jesus emphasizes the point that the Truth of God is the main purpose of His Teaching. If we do not “understand” the lesson then we will miss the Truth of God and the lesson will be useless. Jesus illustrates this point when after asking the lead-in question JQ#14A “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” Jesus immediately gives the answer that those who listen and learn His Teaching and  “does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50)  Jesus taught the multitudes that had gathered to hear Him teach about the kingdom of God (Matthew 13:1-3) the parable of the sower which sowed seed and the different results of that “sowing”, depending on the soil in which the seed was sown. Jesus was asked by His disciples why He was teaching the multitude in parables (Matthew 13:10) and Jesus answered, (1) “…it has been given to you [My disciples that listen] to ‘know’ the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 13:11) and (2) “Therefore I speak to them [those that are following the crowd] in parables, because “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they ‘understand’.” (Matthew 13:13) When we look at His answer to why Jesus spoke in parables we see that the “Truth of God” has to do with “understanding” which is the key to “knowing the mysteries of God” ——— without “understanding” we are blind and deaf to the “kingdom of heaven”. Jesus is teaching that even though the same seed is planted that the success of the sown seed is determined by our “understanding” ——— “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and ‘understands’ it, who indeed bears fruit and produces…” (Matthew 13:23) The Law of Choice and Consequence also applies as Jesus teaches that the different levels of understanding are compared to different types of soil: (1) soil that has been walked on and packed down by the way of the world Jesus called “the wayside” and when the seed was sown on “the wayside” that “the birds came and devoured them.” (Matthew 13:4) ——— (2) The 2nd “soil” was “stony places” and this was soil that the stones were not removed and the soil not properly prepared that  there will not be enough good soil to hold water and nutrients in it that the seed may sprout but without enough water and nourishment the seed “sprang up” and “they withered away”. (Matthew 13:5-6) ——— (3) The 3rd type of soil was good soil but the water and nutrients were being used by the thick roots of thorns and weeds which represent the sin and iniquities of our worldly habits we let take over our lives and when the seed of faith is sown among thorns that the good seed can not take root because the teachings of the world “choked them.” (Matthew 13:6-7) ——— (4) The 4th type of soil was soil Jesus said was soil that would produce fruit because the soil had not been trampled by the world and the rocks and weeds of the world had been removed so the seed made deep  roots and the word of God produced much “fruit”, and Jesus said specifically that good soil is the soul that “…hears the word and ‘understands’ it…” (Matthew 13:23) Jesus went the extra mile with His disciples and taught them to use their “spiritual eyes and ears” to see and “understand” the “Truth of God”. Jesus made sure we “understood” by first teaching the parable of the sower and then immediately Jesus taught the true meaning of the parable so that there would be no “misunderstanding” of the directions Jesus gives His disciples as He points out the hazards of the world at certain points of our lives. Jesus says “Follow Me” and I will “lead you in paths of righteousness…and deliver you from evil…” and you will by your “understanding” be able to confidently proclaim “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD FOREVER”! (Psalm 23) Don’t you want to follow the map and find the narrow gate where you can enter into His Rest and hear Him say “Welcome Home”????