Eyes to See
Have you ever gone searching for your glasses only to find them on your head? or go searching for your keys only to find them in the door? Or your cell phone only to find it charging on your nightstand, exactly where it is supposed to be? Or worse yet, to be told that your wallet is on the counter, and when you look, you cannot even see it though it is sitting right there on the counter??? It can be embarrassing to have that happen to you even knowing that it happens to everyone at some time in our lives.
This very thing even happened to the authors of Scripture and the apostles of
Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of the Messiah hinted at throughout the Old
Testament was not really a surprise for those with the eyes to see. Abraham knew that God could and would raise the dead (Hebrews 11:19). God, in a
powerful vision to Ezekiel, promised that salvation for all God’s people would come through resurrection (Ezekiel 37). Furthermore, the Messiah was described as one who would suffer for the people yet reign in glory, beginning in Genesis 3:15 and in through the prophets. Yet few had eyes to see. Even “the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he
predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.” (1 Peter 1:10-11)
Jesus, in as much as he spoke in parables, was as clear and direct with his disciples on the matter of his death and resurrection, “that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31) And yet even being told the “what” and the “when,” the disciples had trouble seeing. We, however, should not be too harsh toward his first disciples. We may not have fared much better if the mystery of the Messiah had not been revealed to us.
We can now more fully celebrate, as Paul put it, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command or the eternal God.” (Romans 16:25-26)
As we celebrate this Easter Season the mystery of Christ revealed to us, may we humbly pray that all may have the eyes to see our Messiah and that the eyes of our hearts may be evermore enlightened by his Spirit (Ephesians 1:18).
In Christ,
Pastor Rich