~ About Sixty Days until Easter ~
Readings: Isaiah 55:10-13 | 2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9 | Luke 8:4-15
Text: Luke 8:4-15
Words are apt for misunderstanding. St. Paul’s sarcastic words in the last part of 2 Corinthians 11 could be misunderstood if you don’t understand the context and his intent.
18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.
He must put these cues in there so that his readers understand what he’s saying. (It can’t be covered by an Emoji.) Yet, even still, we all have examples where our words have been misunderstood or—worse—misconstrued.
The Word of God is also ripe for misunderstanding because of several factors, which our Lord highlights in the Gospel:
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
The devil also uses words—even God’s Word in select portions—to lie and murder. Think of the plague of eisegesis. You might not be familiar with that term, nor its true and good cousin, exegesis. To put it simply, exegesis asks, “What is God’s Word teaching me and all people?” Eisegesis, on the other hand, asks, “How does the Bible prove my point?” Notice the difference in approach: the one is asking for God to give the interpretation; the other is already coming with conclusions and looking for a divine Word to confirm it.
A prime example of this is when Jesus is being tempted in the wilderness by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). The devil says (in effect), You’re hungry and God wouldn’t want you to be hungry, would He? So, there’s nothing wrong with turning this stone into a loaf of bread. Again, Satan said to Jesus, if you throw yourself down from the top of the temple, God will surely protect you because of what He said in Psalm 91 (“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’’” Matt. 4:6) Pick this section out of its context, and since it seems to apply to you, adopt it as a “mantra” as you do whatever your heart desires.
There are many contemporary examples of this. Often when someone has a treasured cause, it becomes so consuming that it becomes a lens through which they read Scripture. Take, for instance, the many Christians who are eager for the return of Christ, and have reasonably observed many of the signs that our Lord says will precede His return. However, with eisegesis, they will begin reading current events into the text.
Likewise, when people today are following their deceitful desires into all kinds of sexual immorality, they will selectively read passages which speak of God’s love and grace toward sinners, but deliberately ignore passages which speak of those particular sins which they treasure. “as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”
Another example comes out of the ideologies and policies advanced which label men as toxic, white-skinned people as oppressors, and poison the minds of children by confusing them about what is good and proper. There’s good reason for standing up against these demonic ideologies and campaigns. However, it has also sent some searching the Scriptures not just for the truths of the God-given worth of all people, who are created in the image of God. Believing that the “good old days” of racial segregation and a time before feminism were better, some are led to read the Scriptures for a command to be this way, and thinking they’ve found justification for this, they accuse those who think otherwise of disobeying God.
So you can see how the devil is a master when it comes to twisting the Word of God and making what is heard far from what the Lord says. You can also see how sinful people can deceive and be deceived even while they think they’re being faithful to God.
But unlike our speech, which is riddled with faults and heard by a variety of people through their experience, the Word of God does not stand alone. The Lord taught His disciples, as many of them were on the verge of leaving him, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (John 6:63-64) The Holy Spirit comes with the Word to awaken repentance for where we have not just misunderstood, but refused to hear and substituted our own truth. He comes to expose our nakedness (Rev. 3:17: For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.) The Holy Spirit speaks truth over against the lies of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. The teaching of Christ’s apostles is that “we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:13-14)
All of this makes it clear that God strives to save us from those very things which ensnare us and which our flesh would value and prefer over simply learning at the feet of Jesus. Whether it be the devil snatching away the Word, weakness which cannot stand trials, or the deceitful cares of this earthly life, the Lord Jesus ceaselessly endeavors to lead us into all truth [John 16:13-14].
The Lord’s Word through Isaiah is true [Isaiah 55:10-11]: His Word does come down like showers. It does water the earth, and effects growth. There is nothing empty or ineffective about it, except for our unreceptive ears and hearts. You can’t miss the grace here, too, because if it weren’t for Him creating faith, for Him implanting the Word in us, sin and the devil would do their worst work: perpetual unbelief until we curse God for His just judgment, as the people in Revelation are pictured doing [Revelation 16:10-11, 21].
Yet, even so, the Lord is gracious toward us in our weakness and madness: “My grace is sufficient for you” reminds us that we do not hear and understand God because we are smarter or in any way better than those who do not. It is His pure grace that He has made us like little children: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” (Matt. 11:25-26)
So, every time we gladly hear and learn God’s Word, we are truly blessed because His will is being done among us, that “He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
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