| Home | Our Hope | |
| Bible Study |
|
January 29, 2024 |
| Sometimes, Faithfulness is a Closed Mouth | ||
The Holy Spirit began revealing things to me long ago. Even then, I realized there were some things I wasn't supposed to reveal to others. Only recently did it come to me that God will only reveal such things to us, if we will be faithful not to reveal them - and he does know.
As a teacher, I want to teach everything God has to offer. It runs against my grain, to be given understanding that I cannot teach. I have even asked myself what purpose God could have in this. How would his people be edified? I don't have a good answer to that.
From a darker perspective, it is also against our nature to hide things that we know would bring glory to us, if we revealed them to others.
Paul talks about something that was revealed to him that he is not allowed to talk about and, as you would expect, he does not reveal it.
And I knew this man, if in a body or if without the body, I do not know, God himself knows, 4 who was snatched up to Paradise and heard words that are unspeakable, because it is not authorized for a man to speak them. (2 Corinthians 12:3-4)
This is the only mention Paul ever makes of these events. His purpose here is not to boast or to glorify himself. Quite the opposite, his purpose is to show the people of Corinth that they have no reason to boast about the revelations they have been given.
Jesus explains to his disciples that the understanding of his parables is not for everyone.
And his disciples approached and they were saying to him, "Why are you speaking with them in parables?" 11 But he answered and said to them: "It has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to one who has it, it will be given, and it will be increased. 13 And from him who has it not, will be taken even that which he has, therefore I am speaking to them in parables because they who see do not see, and those who hear neither hear nor understand." (Matthew 13:10-13)
Jesus says this just before he is going to explain the parable of the sower to them.
Jesus doesn't say it explicitly, but his disciples understand that it is not their job to go and explain Jesus' parables after Jesus uses them in his preaching.
There are also a few cases where Jesus specifically says to his disciples that they should not reveal some things.
But he said to them, "Who is it you say that I am?" 16 Shimeon Kaypha answered, "You are the Messiah, the son of the living God". 17 Yeshua answered and said to him, "You are Blessed, Shimeon Bar Yona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven." […] 20 Then he ordered his disciples to tell no man that he is the Messiah. (Matthew 16:15-17,20)