If, or rather when, we allow lesser things to have some rule over us to an unGodly persuasion, God would be less than God to us to leave us unaware. Indeed, if in that circumstance God remained interminably silent there would lie a great injustice…of one not taking responsibility in and for His creation. Not “backing up His word” so to speak.
And yet, as true as this may be and seem in all of such circumstance, we are also persuaded no man can force God to anything; nor even by such understanding (even if true), to speak. It is to us imperative God speak and make Himself known, but all of our own imperatives must give way, and that always, to something greater.
For even to hold such an imperative as a recognized or recognizable thing already puts us in position of a thing having some law placed in us to make to us clear that necessity. God does not need to speak, or act, or do anything, for nothing above Him (as nothing is above Him) can cause pressure of imperative to, or upon Him. It is only necessity to us…who if in our right minds, know God has already “worked” in our creation, for we accept our being as creatures. It is all and only of grace that God continues to speak…to even tell us when we are wrong, even dead wrong.
We might even conclude if taking all the above that no matter what a man may hear from God, it is all a work of grace. For we cannot hold God to have to speak, nor force Him to, and though his justice is revealed in His speaking, whatever he may say that a man might hear…even if it be to all judgment, is of grace. We are to some true extent, caught in all consequence. God being the one of all consequence.
For we may attempt to lie, seek to lie, have a vain hope we can get away with lying…but each of us “do” according to some expectation of consequence. And what we take to ourselves, at very least, we cannot deny God’s greater right; even if in exercise of His doing we neither see nor know for the why of why He acts. Nor to what end. He is under no compulsion to tell us. Yet, He does. And we may see and know…but only to what measure He allows and reveals.
Indeed, we are caught. And indeed we are, as I am no less, as no man has ever less nor more been than caught, in the creation. Yet here is where the believer is shown different species of man by the faith of Him who entered the creation in all submission to the will of another. Consciously, willingly, knowingly in such submission. This is much to do, one may be persuaded, with the apostle’s words here:
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Nothing we may do, or not do is the basis for what alone, as several other translations state…counts. That is the all that matters. For it points to the success of Christ to both make new and bring in a thing promised as from the beginning, even declared as from the beginning:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
We must, at least in one of many possible musts or necessities made plain to the believer, have revealed to us, the consistency of God. Yet only the new man, the new creature knows, or even can know of such matters. This is found owing in all to Jesus the Christ and His revelation. Which (if there is a why to it) we must, and can only read rightly from estate as new man. In that sense we are reading backwards now not looking as only through the lens of scripture to “find out”, but rather through the lens or eyes of Christ in His light to truly see.
And do not think that this understanding is as something to be made so esoteric or reserved to a mere few of some innate spiritual mastery accorded only to them as rare or more precious gifting, for why then would the apostle’s and prophets write and relate the things they have seen, if not to be known…generally? Yes, to some they may fall upon deaf, or yet deaf ears, just as the “red words” were spoken to him who has ears to hear. Jesus not neglecting to say that to those who are without, they must appear as dark parables to even prove that in their seeing they do not…see. Nor in their hearing do they really…hear.
And if this, even in most clear declaration seems puzzling or difficult to grasp, understand, much less give assent to; can one at very least lend some imagination or thoughtful meditation to consider what those some apostle’s also went through in their considering? Listen here if you can, if you are made able:
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
O! but this is very strange upon first hearing! The disciples asking Jesus why he speaks to a “them” in parables. And the answer is not at all as one might have expected according to the (even the believer’s mind if yet captured in natural reasonings!) and commonly received notions of many.
No, the answer is not “I tell them stories so they can relate easily to certain matters and understand.” No, not at all, and much to the contrary. Is is too much to the contrary? Is Jesus, even this Jesus speaking these words too contrary? To you? To me? To any?
To some given, to others specifically…not given?
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Jesus intentionally veiling matters to some. Even so that in such thinking they see, they do not, Even in thinking they hear, they do not. In some sense “going away” thinking they now have, and have gotten matters, when Jesus knows they do not “get it” at all.
But to those who questioned him as to even the why of “why do you speak to them in parables” He says:
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Now this declaration is marvelous to any made to hear it, as first they were. Can it be overstated in its marvel and intent? God forbid any of His own think so. Jesus declaring the blessedness of eyes that see, of ears that hear.
One might even go so far as to understand it is all and only by such pronounced blessedness upon them, that eyes and ears have been made to such seeing and hearing. And this even, and as very much stated, as beyond the previous prophet’s and righteous men’s ken.
What they desired to have they did not, what they desired to hear and see…even they did not. Do we not see again a great dividing line as mentioned in some previous section? How that though none had arisen of women born any greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he?
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Now, if it is not too clever to say “here is the kicker”…even a kicker that must not (may it be said so?) be lost on us. God forbid it be so…lost on us.
Just after His saying of these matters, His declarations of who sees and gets to, and no less of who does not see, and whose eyes and ears are blessed above all the previous prophets and righteous men’s as opposed to eyes that do not, nor at least…not yet…and the people are sent away:
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying,
And this is what they said:
Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
Almost every other translation uses the word “explain” where here is used declare.
Is this the disciples in denial of all Jesus had previously said as to their seeing, and hearing, and understanding by asking for explaining? For at first glance…
God forbid!
No, it is not. For the love of Christ see that it is not. It is disciples doing what all and every disciple is alone given to do above all matters; that shows he does indeed have sight, he does indeed have hearing. And such that is indeed blessed, at that.
He does not presume to understand anything at all, but what he can do he does as first and always priority…ask of the Lord for understanding. For explanation. For declaration of the things He says. He eats with Jesus as only he knows as indeed privileged estate for the eating of His word(s).
And Jesus the Christ is no with holder from what is His own. He knows them and calls them by name for the eating of all of the Lamb. And there are no unpleasant parts of Him.
To such is made clear, even to those who once appeared themselves as parable, as deepest mystery irresolvable to themselves…in all a thing only in seeming by contrast. I am not a rock, I am not a fish, I am not a dog, or tree, or bird. I am man.
But what sort of man am I? Oh the depths of it! How shall I know…if I am mere parable, made only to be example of man…or real?
The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
The Lamb, and every bit of Him.
There is a great gulf, an incomparable chasm between Adam and Jesus Christ, though both at first sight appear as man. But the question, even as our question of ourselves…”What sort of man am I” that we are incessantly consumed to both knowing and showing of ourselves…is and can only be answered in the Christ of God. Only Jesus knows of what sort Adam is, and who He is.
No one else “answers for man” what, or who a man is. All the doing or not doing, circumcision or uncircumcision mean nothing here. Especially if they are taken as understood as an outward marking…some show of pious devotion by some, or ignorance of by others…or even showing of impiety as to demonstrate to certain others they can determine them as outsiders. Those yet religiously bound.
And Paul, as seeing through Christ, sees two men. As only the man in Christ can…see both. And of one he knows himself as once assuredly of. Even as the man who only knew as that one man. He assuredly then knew of himself, and no less…as that once man, seeing only one, knowing only one.
How do we know this…that he was sure of his once identity as Adam? He says so.
For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
And he was only made able to know this by the revelation of another man, the man who captured him and took him to heavenly places…to see. And so from there he writes with heavenly vision:
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
He understood. Even that all that had gone before was to be for us as parable, as example, the land of types and shadows made for the new man to both see and learn by. Even what we thought was “finality” of creation as summed up in Genesis now bore revision…re-vision. The how once thought we would “know ourselves” that left us nothing but confused. Yes, he labored through…”Why God, would you do that?”…make a man you made in your knowing to all knowing of frustration? Vexation. Endless striving to be. Even of striving to be what he is not.
The Christ who prompted him for answer is the Christ who clearly gave answer…in two men to see. Their seeming alikeness now was dispelled in all from him, he saw. No reviling for Adam for being what he is…as example, even appearing now as parable in parable…that the glory of the Christ be seen and known. And Paul became real to himself by a thing of always astounding to him. Out of the land of types and shadows once made to him and for him…that he too, be drawn froth out from them and into truth. And truth of his being….even “real”.
And how do we know this?
Because he said so. There for any to see and find if they have received what Paul received as given him for establishment.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.
Yes, God does nothing in vain.
Even in His subjecting to all of old creation to vanity.
May it be as it is to be as all and only for the purpose of Christ, and His alone, glory.
Nothing counts but a new creature.
Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old
and
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Adam, an example. Christ, the true.
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