Luke 18:34
"And they (the Twelve who’d been with Him now for three years) understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken."
Well, you know, I have to ask the question. Who hid it? God did. It wasn’t for them to know. Because can you imagine what these twelve men would have done even in these intervening days between this and the crucifixion if they would have known? It would have just upset the whole apple cart. But they didn’t know. Remember the events of the crucifixion and how that they ran for their lives. They scattered as I’ve said before, like a flock of quail. But it wasn’t until AFTER the resurrection that Peter got bold as bold can be, because now with the power of resurrection, confirming, regardless of what those Romans could do to him, he had resurrection power. He had resurrection Life. He had nothing to fear. He had the power of an endless life flowing in His veins.
But they did not know it. And all you have to do is just search your memory. My when they put those Roman guards around the tomb, did the eleven and did Mary and Martha, some of those, just camp out a little further away and wait? No, they weren’t around. They had no idea He was going to be raised from the dead.
And remember, in John chapter 20, when Mary Magdalene comes to anoint the body as was the custom, did she have any idea He would be raised from the dead? Well, of course not. It just took them all by surprise even though the Old Testament was adamant that He would be raised from the dead. So always remember these things and that it wasn’t until after the death, burial and resurrection and then His ascension that this amazing Gospel of Grace was able to be promoted. All these things remained a mystery or a secret from them and many others as well. Why? Because Isaiah chapter 53 when studied will reveal that all this is so and especially verses 5 and 10 because its here and 1 Peter 2:24 that we learn of the person who follows Christ through the cross, His death to sin and on through His ascension that that person is restored just as if he had not been a son of Adam in his rebellion.
And even then, for the first several years after and Peter and the others are proclaiming to Israel, they don’t attach salvation to this death, burial and resurrection and especially His ascension. All they could understand is that the King can still be what He promised to be because He’s not dead, He’s alive. But, it isn’t until the Apostle Paul comes that he now has the revelation that this has become The Gospel of Graces finished work for the salvation for the whole human race.(I Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 2:20 and others) Not just for the Hebrew, not just for the Gentiles but for everyone and through all of that then, we come up with this New High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Alright, now verse 28 again of Hebrews chapter 7.
Hebrews 7:28
"For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; (they’re going to die) but the word of the oath, which was since the law, (on this side of the Cross) maketh the Son, (Who we’ve been emanating all the way through Hebrews.) who is consecrated (or has finished, fulfilled brought to a close or end and then consummated everything) forevermore." (study these closely Hebrews 2:10, 5:9; Luke 13:39 and John19:30 under the word perfected)
Nothing more now needs to be done. Everything that God required to satisfy the sin(s) of mankind is accomplished. Now, I’m sure very few of us (and I certainly don’t even claim to) understand the workings of the mind of God with regard to the shed Blood and the forgiveness. We understand the workings of it but the very mind of God behind it, why, why did He have to have a blood sacrifice? Oh, I’ve got an idea, but to be able to just sit down and to lay it out so that almost anybody can understand. No, I can’t do that. Nor can I do service to explain God's Love which is demonstrated or exhibited through it all. He just boggles my spirit and mind with it all.
But there are a lot of things. In fact, we were just talking about the Triune God (Elohim) - what we call the Trinity. There again the word Trinity isn’t in your Bible, but the whole concept of a Triune God is and listen, there’s no way you can understand that except by loving trust. We just can’t fathom it. How can three personalities be in three different places and yet operate as one? I can’t understand it but I can believe it. I know it because the Book says it. And I receive it by His faith and my trusting in that faith.
Now I'm going to pause just here to reveal something my wife just saw in Johns gospel and this may prove interesting with what we've been saying and sharing. Lets look at chapter 6 and pick up the flow at verse 61:
John 6:61-65 "When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, 'Doth this offend you? What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, 'Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.'"
John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Now here's the note worthy point look at verse 66 and what is said there....notice its placement in chapter 6, that's right verse 66 as this is mans number 6 and it is repeated here as 6-6-6- to get our attention. For just as those who were following Him turned back so it is with the worlds churches they too have turned back because what He has revealed is hard for mere mortal man to accept. If man remain practical, earthy, fleshly or is his natural state he does not nor can he receive the things of the Spirit of God. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned or understood or judged through mans re-birthed spirit.
In fact, I was just telling somebody, that the more I look at this, the more I understand that, had God not been a Triune God, none of this would have worked. Have you ever thought of that? It wouldn’t have worked. Because you see, while Christ was dead on the Cross, if He was the only person of the Godhead, then God would have been what? Dead. Who would have called Him from the tomb if He was the only One? Nobody.
But you see, we have a Triune God. And while Christ was dead and in the tomb, we still had God the Father of spirits and God the Spirit with all the power necessary to raise Him from the dead. Well, the same way when Christ went back to glory. Who came down? The Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit as a third Person of the Trinity, my, we’d be destitute of a lot of these things. And so, we have to have everything just exactly the way God laid it out but it’s hard to understand unless we can take it by trusting His faithfulness. The Bible says it. The Bible teaches it. And we rest on it, even though we can’t always understand it.
Alright now the same way, the Son now had been set at the right hand of the Majesty on High and we pick that up now in chapter 8 verse 1.
Hebrews 8:1
"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;"
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