This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s
happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

If Jesus is the Messiah,
why can’t everyone see it?

This is the question Matthew wants
us to ponder as we read Matthew 13.

Up to this point, people
have doubted who Jesus is.

John the Baptist and his messengers
doubted that he was the Messiah.

The Pharisees hurled all kinds
of doubtful accusations at him.

But Jesus answers this
question with several parables.

Each has a unique contribution to
Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God,

but in Matthew 13 all share basically one
message: The Kingdom of God is hidden.

Through parables about
seeds, wheat, treasure, and fish,

Jesus says that the Kingdom
of God is like a secret.

But this secret isn’t
revealed to everyone.

Like the parables about the sower, wheat,
and fish, some get it and others just don’t.

But why is this?

Well Jesus quotes a
prophecy from Isaiah,

“You will indeed hear but never understand,
you will indeed see but never perceive”.

You see, humanity’s
heart had become hard.

Their ears had grown dull.
Their eyes had closed shut.

So, they could not believe, hear, or
see the truth of what Jesus was doing.

So how did anyone, like the disciples
for instance, come to believe?

Well Jesus says it is because the ability to know
the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven had been

given to them, but to
others, it had not been given.

The difference between those who
hear and those who don’t is a free gift.

The point of this passage is that the Kingdom
of God is like a secret, hidden from the world.

Because of our hard hearts and dull ears,
all humanity would have rejected it and received

a punishment Jesus refers to here
as “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

But the good news is that God has revealed
the Kingdom to us in the person of Jesus.

In fact, the hidden secret
is fully revealed in him.

After all, who thinks dying on a cross
is the right way to build a kingdom?

But the seemingly insignificant
life and death of Jesus would grow

like a small mustard seed
into the giant Kingdom of God.

Jesus has revealed these
secrets and offered to save us

from the weeping and
gnashing of teeth that we deserve.

Those who understand the
gift of Jesus are like a man

who comes across a pearl of great
price and sells everything he has to buy it.

The point is not how much
you are willing to pay to buy it.

We’ve already seen that
the Kingdom is a free gift.

The point is, do you see
Jesus as worth everything?

If you do, Jesus says to you today
what he said to the disciples then,

“Blessed are your eyes, for they see”.

So I pray that the Holy Spirit
would open your eyes to see

the God who has had a hidden
plan from the beginning of time.

And may you see Jesus as the only
one who perfectly completes that plan.