UNDERSTOOD NOT AND PERCEIVE NOT BECAUSE HIDDEN

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UNDERSTOOD NOT AND PERCEIVE NOT BECAUSE HIDDEN

Forum: Theological Expressions
Date: 2001, Oct 06
From: Grace_Messenger Grace_Messenger

This note is in response to Joe question in http://www.antioch.com.sg/cgi-bin/Agora-Pub/get/expressions/242/2/5/1.html # SIGN OF THE TEMPLE Joe pointed to John 2:19 and said taking the temple there as "literal" will be a problem. Let us read John 2:18-23. John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast [day], many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. At the time when the Jews passover was at hand, Christ went into the Jerusalem temple. After Christ had drove those who sold oxen and sheep, and the money changers, the oxen and sheep out of the temple, the "Jews" asked for "sign" (John 2:18) or on what "authority" (Matt 21:23) he did such things. Christ answer was that "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19) Joe believed that those who took the word of Christ literally, they would have interpreted wrongly. They would have interpreted like the "Jews" (John 2:20) did, that the "temple" was the Jerusalem's physical temple. What did "the disciples" (John 2:23) who were following Christ think at that time? The Bible did not record the answer for us. Only after and not before the resurrection of Christ that the disciples came to remember the saying about the temple's sign and that Christ was speaking of "the temple of his body" and "they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus said." (John 2:21-23). The Old Testament scripture did taught about the resurrection of Christ, for example, (Psa 16:10 quoted in Acts 2:27) Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. In the Old Testament, there are a number of passages that speak of God dwelling in the temple, for examples, "he did hear my voice out of his temple" (2 Sam 22:7), "he heard my voice out of his temple) (Psa 18:6), and "The LORD is in his holy temple" (Psa 11:4, Heb 2:20). The temple is later used to represent the body in 1 Cor 6:19 "your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost" and God in Rev 21:22, "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it" where "it: is "the holy Jersusalem, descednign out of heaven from God" (Rev 21:10). At the point of time when Christ spoke, the people sometime cannot understand what he spoke because out of his own wisdom, Christ decided not to reveal to them the meaning until later. Information is being given progressively and this is commonly known as progressive revelation. With the benefit of the complete word of God written down for our study, we can better understand what Christ is saying. If we do not keep in mind progressive revelation in the Bible, we can get confuse and wrongly understand the word of God. Concerning this, let us look at the preaching of the gospel. # UNDERSTOOD NOT, PERCEIVED NOT, HIDDEN Christ brought with him only Peter, James and John to a high mountain and was transfigured before them in the presence of Moses and Elias (Luke 9:30). "9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean." (Mark 9:9-10) The three closest disciples of Christ discussed among themselves the meaning of Christ's "rising from the dead" because they just did not understand about the resurrection of Christ. Why they did not understand? After the transfiguration, "on the next day" (Luke 9:37), Christ spoke to his disciples "44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. 45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying." (Luke 9:44-45) Why did the disciple "understood not" and "perceived not" that "Christ will be delivered into the hands of men" ? The reason was that God out of his own wisdom hid it from them. Let us look further in Luke to see what else Christ spoke to the twelve disciples and yet hid their understanding about them. Luke 18:31 "Then he took [unto him] the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge [him], and PUT HIM TO DEATH: AND THE THIRD DAY HE SHALL RISE AGAIN. 34 AND THEY UNDERSTOOD NONE OF THESE THINGS: AND THIS SAYING WAS HID FROM THEM, NEITHER KNEW THEY THE THINGS WHICH WERE SPOKEN." When Christ spoke to the twelve disciples about his "death" and "the third day he shall rise again" the disciples "understood none of these things", could not bring to their mind what these are all about, "neither knew they the things which were spoken", they could not grasp the meaning of it simply because "this saying was hid from them." God out of his own infinite wisdom wanted to hide the understanding of the saying from his twelve disciples. What was the response of Peter to Christ when he spoke of his death and resurrection? Let us look at Matt 16:21-23. Matt 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and SUFFER MANY THINGS OF THE ELDERS AND CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES, AND BE KILLED, AND BE RAISED AGAIN THE THIRD DAY. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. {Be...: Gr. Pity thyself} 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. After hearing about Christ talking about going to Jerusalem, suffered under the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and "be killed, and be raised again the third day", Peter did not want it to happen and rebuked Christ. Christ turned around and rebuked Peter that he was under the influence of Satan. Christ added that Peter did not "savourest" (also translated as think, regard, mind), understand or regard "the things of God" or spiritual things but "those that be of men". # THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY Why God wanted to hide the saying from their understanding? This question is later answered by apostle Paul in 1 Cor 2:7-8. "7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." In conclusion, the disciples were kept from understanding about the significance of Christ death and resurrection because if it is revealed before Christ death, the princes of this world (including Satan, the elders, the chief priests and the scribes (Matt 16:21) ) will also know it and they would not crucified the Lord of glory. With the crucifixion of Christ, Satan was defeated because Christ conquered death and rose from the dead. Through the cross work of Christ, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (2 Cor 5:19). We who believed in the finished work of Christ on the cross, that is Christ died for our sins, are saved. Christ crucifixion accomplished many things. Apostle Paul writes the inspired word, 1 Cor 1:23 "But we PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD, and THE WISDOM OF GOD." The preaching of the crucified Christ, to the believers, shows "Christ the power of God" and "the wisdom of God." What do the death of Christ accomplished for us believers? It was revealed to apostle Paul that the death of Christ resulted in believers being "reconciled to God," (Rom 5:10). Christ was "delivered for our offences," (Rom 4:25) or died as a substitute for our sins. "Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8) believers instead of we died for our own sins. "The wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23)and Christ paid that penalty of sin for believers by his own death. Believers are "justified by his blood" or sacrificial death and "saved from the wrath through him" (Rom 5:9). "In his blood" is what God set forth to be believers "propitiation," (Rom 3:25), a fully satisfied sacrifice to God and also believers "redemption." (Rom 3:23) What do the resurrection of Christ accomplish for believers ? It was revealed to apostle Paul that Christ is "the firstfruits of them that slept," (1 Cor 15:20) that "afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (1 Cor 15:20) Christ was the first to rise from the dead and following him will be believers rising from the dead. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." (1 The 4:14). For Christ died and rose, so will believer who died will God "bring with him" out of death or raised him. Christ "was raised again for our justification" (Rom 4:25). 1 Cor 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THEM THAT SLEPT. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: CHRIST THE FIRSTFRUITS; AFTERWARD THEY THAT ARE CHRIST'S AT HIS COMING. 1The 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. So we see that the significance of Christ death and resurrection was first revealed to apostle Paul. # QUESTIONS ON THE PREACHING OF GOSPEL ## We have shown in Luke 9:44-45, that the disciples did not understand the significance of Christ being delivered to death. Even up till Luke 19:31-34, they still did not understand the significance of Christ death and resurrection because it was hid from them by God. Yet earlier on in Luke 9:2, Christ sent the twelve apostles "to preach the kingdom of God." Or as Matt 10:7 put it, they were to preach "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." In Luke 10, Christ sent the seventy to preach "the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." (Luke 10:11). In view of the significance of Christ death and resurrection being hidden from them, what gospel message did the twelve apostles and the seventy preached ? Can they be preaching the finished work of Christ on the cross which was hid from them? Luke 18:31 Then he took [unto him] the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge [him], AND PUT HIM TO DEATH: AND THE THIRD DAY HE SHALL RISE AGAIN. 34 And they UNDERSTOOD NONE OF THESE THINGS: AND THIS SAYING WAS HID FROM THEM, NEITHER KNEW THEY THE THINGS WHICH WERE SPOKEN. ## In view of the significance of the finished work of Christ being first revealed to the apostle Paul, what gospel message did Christ instruct the apostles of the uncircumcision to preached in Mark 16:15-16 and Peter in obedience preached in Acts 2:38 ? Did they preached the finished work of Christ on the cross which was hidden from them? Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.