UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WORD (2)

“And HE OPENED their UNDERSTANDING, that they might comprehend the SCRIPTURES” – Luke 24:45

Luke’s final post-resurrection narrative of Jesus, focused on Him opening the disciples’ minds in UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WORD: “And HE OPENED their UNDERSTANDING, that they might comprehend the SCRIPTURES” (Lk.24:45). It is interesting that the risen Lord did not appear to Pilate, Caiaphas, or the unruly crowd that demanded his death, to show off or prove to them that despite their negative actions, He was the Winner in the end. Instead of convincing His enemies that He really was Who He said He was, all He did was reinforce the faith of those who already believed in Him. He appeared to His friends and followers, to ignite their understanding of the scriptures.

Jesus appeared to His disciples as they were discussing His earlier interaction with two of them on the road to Emmaus, during which the topic of conversation was His crucifixion and rumoured resurrection. The disciples had no clue as to the eternal import of these events. Being devout Jews, they probably were familiar with the Scriptures that prophesied about what the Messiah would do and what would be done to Him, but they were oblivious to the fact that all of these things were fulfilled in Jesus’ life and ministry. He had to explain everything to them – including what they should have already known from their familiarity with the Scriptures, and the added blessing of being in the presence of Jesus for three years.  As Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, we note the Source and the Content of the message.

The Source of the message was God. The content comprised what God had done for sinners in the life and ministry of His incarnate Son. As the risen Saviour explained to His frightened and confused disciples the meaning of what had taken place in recent days, so He, through the Holy Spirit, will provide understanding of truths in His written Word. The message of the Gospel doesn’t change according to our mood or how we might feel on a given day. The message of Hope and New Life that was proclaimed by angels at the empty tomb and by the disciples in the months and years that followed is the very same message that continues to be proclaimed by the people of Christ today.

Jesus is the Epitome of this same message that was proclaimed by the Old Testament prophets. It had been prophesied that the Messiah would suffer, die, and rise again. The Prophet like Moses had come, perfectly revealed the will of God, and effected the salvation of sinners (Deut.18:15). The suffering Servant of the Lord had been “despised and rejected by men,” and in the process “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” so that upon Him was “the chastisement for our peace,” and “by His stripes we are healed” (Isa.53:4-5). Understanding the Story of Jesus as the central message of scripture, is the beginning of Understanding God’s Words.