“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. “ Luke 24:45-47
Then he opened their minds…. This is what I need and what I have been praying for all day. No amount of education, study or meditation or hobnobbing with other pastors will get me to where I need to be in the matter of understanding the Bible, the full-meaning of Christ and my purpose in God’s work short of Him opening my mind. This is one of the humble steps we must all take, just like a child, in our Christian pilgrimage. He has to help us to understand—we can’t substitute a Christian author or eloquent speaker. He has to open our ears, eyes and imagination to these things: we are simply unable to grasp it on our own. And when He does, it feels like “scales” falling from our eyes and we are amazed that we were so dense and unable to see and understand what He has been trying to tell us all along.
Has He opened my mind? Do I see things—-people, events, happenings—from His point of view? Am I able to see beyond the curves and bumps in the road to the ultimate vision—the Holy City of God and the very purpose for which He came ? Do I realize that His Word—the Bible—contains God’s plan for redeeming and restoring mankind for Himself? It becomes obvious as He illuminates the prophesies from Moses (the Pentateuch) to Malachi (the last of the prophets) the purpose, reason and consequences of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. But He has to opens our minds and hearts, illuminate the Word (that’s what Jesus said in verses 26-27: “Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”)
So as we are all required to stay in our homes, awaiting the end of this plague, are we asking Him top open our minds so that we might receive what we’ve been missing? Maybe there’s a silver lining to being forced to stay home.
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