They Got It

Luke 24:45 "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures."

Up until this time, the disciples were unable to take the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms and match them up to the life of Christ. They were relying on the personal teaching of Jesus to direct what they did and to tell them who He was. Even that, however, did not cut it with them. They still didn't get it. Even though Jesus was standing in front of them in the flesh, even though He had eaten food in their presence, they still doubted (v38), they still did not believe what was happening (v41), so Jesus did an amazing thing. He took the scales off of their eyes. He opened their understanding. He opened their minds and their souls to understand the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms. The word for understand is pretty cool, because it actually means to set or join together in the mind. Before Jesus opened their minds, they had all these pieces parts. It was kind of like a connect the dots puzzle. They could see the dots, but they had no idea how they all connected and what they all meant. When Jesus opened their understanding, they saw it. They saw the whole picture. They saw how all of the scriptures fit together and they all pointed to Christ, the Messiah, the crucified living Savior who was standing in front of them talking to them. They got it. Not because they worked hard at trying to get it, but because Jesus opened their brains and their inner man to get it.

Jesus still does this today. There are times in my life when I am reading His word and all of a sudden something hits me. I had never seen or understood something before and God just says: "Glen, I am going to open your mind and heart to get this one." Those are amazing times. This isn't something that God wants to do periodically, however, it is something that He wants to do all the time. It is something that He wants me to experience daily. It is this living, breathing, walking, talking relationship. We don't have to have scales over our eyes any longer. God has given us His word and His Holy Spirit who "…will guide you into all truth." John 16:13. That isn't just some truth. That isn't just partial truth. That isn't just periodic truth. That is all truth.

The sad thing is our unwillingness to receive. Oh, we don't do this brazenly. We are sly about it. We say that we believe God's word and want to learn from God's word and we want God to direct us through His word and to teach us the truth, but then we fail to read it. We say we don't have time. We say that we are too tired. We say that we can't focus. We say that we don't like to read. Unbelievable. Here is Jesus. He died on the cross. He rose from the dead. He lives now. He is willing to open our understanding so that we can comprehend the Scriptures. He has left us with the ultimate Teacher in the Holy Spirit and we say that we don't have time. Unreal. No wonder we flounder in our lives. No wonder we are directionless. No wonder we struggle.

The point: He will open our understanding to comprehend the scriptures. We have to let Him.