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Hidden truths (Why didn’t Jesus speak plainly?)
— When we don’t understand, who’s at fault?

— In this scripture, Jesus states truths that the doubters and the rivals for His authority can’t grasp…

— It’s found before His trial and crucifixion in John 2:13-22  The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  (14)  In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.  (15)  And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.  (16)  And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”  (17)  His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  (18)  So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”  (19)  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  (20)  The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”  (21)  But he was speaking about the temple of his body.  (22)  When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

1/ The first truth is when Jesus corrects their use of the temple grounds…

(Vs.14-16)  In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.  (15)  And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.  (16)  And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”

— Matthew 21:13 tells us Jesus said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

a) We are told that the ‘businesses’ conducted there were making a profit out of God’s worship in the temple.

b) What is wrong with that? ~ (Do the two commandments that cover all the others, apply here?)

See Matthew 22:36-39  (A lawyer asked Jesus) “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  (37)  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  (38)  This is the great and first commandment.  (39)  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

d) Does doing business for profit show respect for God’s House?

e) Also, is it proper to make a profit from your neighbour’s worship of God? (Would you like to be charged for your worship time? ~ “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”)

I bring this out to examine how our innermost thoughts are displayed by our actions.

— And Jesus was correcting the thinking of these people in regards to their worship of God.

Do we agree that these people were misunderstanding what is proper and correct in God’s house?

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2/ Let’s look at another misunderstanding of truth that Jesus spoke in this account…

(Vs. 18-19)  So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”  (19)  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

— Jesus was telling them a true fact of what He would do as a sign of His authority, and yet they took it to be about the Jewish temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was talking of His own body and His death and resurrection.

I repeat my title question… Why didn’t Jesus speak absolutely clearly of what He meant?

— As we think about that let me take you to another statement from God’s Word about mortal understanding.

Matthew 13:10-17  Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”  (11)  And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  (12)  For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  (13)  This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  (14)  Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  (15)  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’  (16)  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.  (17)  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Okay, let’s stop there to dig into what Jesus (God with us) is saying to us…

— As we ponder this I am confident the Holy Spirit has something we can take with us to put into action.

The disciples come with a very good question, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (Vs. 10)

— Reread the verses that follow (Vs. 11-14)
Does Vs.12 seem fair to you? …”For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
— To understand this we need to know what it is one has, and another has not… (HINT: Heb 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

(You fill in the blanks)

Therefore we know that… ‘Without F__ __ __H it is impossible to please GOD’.
— Would it follow that if you lack faith, your faith shrinks, and if you have faith, then your faith will grow?

Jesus gives the answer to why He speaks in parables in Vs.15… For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them

Let’s try to understand what Jesus is teaching us in this…

1/ Jesus states, “For this people’s heart has grown __ __ __ __”

— What do you think this means?

— The opposite of these “hearts” would be ones that were SHARP and CLEAR.

— Can we describe what would motivate a heart that was sharp and clear on the things of God.

I came up with these words to describe such hearts: PA__ __ ION __TE; & EAG__ __ to HEAR.

2/ He also says, “lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”

— Who is hindering their understanding? (I would suggest there are two sources of impediment.)

a) S__T__N;

b) TH__MS__LVES.

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In Ephesians 4:18 the Apostle Paul writes… “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

— Again we see the HEART mentioned here in regard to understanding.

Let’s close out this study with a discussion of what HARDENS HEARTS…

1/ Traumas and the cares of this world. ~ How do they affect how we might regard others who suffer?
— (It can work to the good or to the bad.) For we can understand another’s hurt, or we can be so wrapped up in our own sorrows that we don’t stop to think of others.

2/ Self-centered thinking. ~ Even in world events, does this affect our thoughts and actions?
— Has God’s Holy Spirit ever stopped your prayer-time to remind you to pray for others? (Maybe for Christians under persecution in other countries.)

3/ Our walk with the LORD. ~ How does this affect the measure of our compassion for others?
— Can you walk close to the Lord without a heart for others?

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As we turn our hearts to our prayer-time, let’s ask God to give us a softened heart, so we may have compassion for all those who are hurting.

–As an encouragement from God’s Word, we’ll close with a sure promise from Psalm 103:6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.

(I invite any comments or questions, just use the contact forms provided, and I will try to reply as quickly as possible.)