The Secrets

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

THE SECRETS

Luke 8:9-10

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'  

NIV

Is it just that we have already read Jesus’s explanation of this parable or that we have heard so many sermons over the years using this parable as the text or are we really the ones who are seeing, hearing and understanding? It would seem by their question they did not understand it at first. Are we that much smarter than them? Then again we have read the explanation and how can we ever forget that we have so as to actually be in the same situation as they had been? But still the point is clear that the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given not just to them, but to us as well. It is also clear that there are some people who have read the scriptures and do not understand the secrets of the kingdom. These people dismiss the scripture as nothing more than a book written by men, rather than from the mouth of God. They see nothing, they hear nothing, and they understand nothing. But we read and we see the truth, we hear the words of God and we hear the truth and we understand those secrets deep within our being. Have we been chosen to do so, is that why? No, these secrets are available to anyone who cares to invite Jesus into their life. When the Holy Spirit is poured out upon us, when he comes to dwell within, he is the one who leads us into all truth, he unlocks the secrets of the kingdom. Anyone can have this truth and understand the secrets within. But the fact remains, there are those who do not see, hear and understand. Yet here we are the one who does see and hear with understanding. How precious this gift of the Spirit is. Had we never read the explanation, we would have known the meaning because of the Spirits guidance. This fact holds true for all the rest of scripture, even those parables without an explanation, for we have been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God.