Hearts to Perceive

Hebrews 2:8-9                   Isaiah 26:17-20                  Romans 8:24-28             John 16:16-24

Hearts to Perceive

Very few people seem able to face the various hurdles of life with an anticipation of a good conclusion. They cannot imagine anything good beyond their current struggle, suffering, or sorrow. 

The Israelites are a good example of this. Even though they had experienced the miraculous and supernatural liberating power of God – the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the annihilation of their enemies, the repeated miraculous interventions – and despite God’s obvious presence and provision – the pillar of cloud and fire, the manna, the supply of water, the theophanic manifestations at Mount Sinai – despite all this their faith and trust in God still broke down with each new challenge in the wilderness…a failure that eventually led to their fear-filled revolt following the negative report of ten of the twelve spies at the border of the Promised Land…and the divine judgment that consigned that generation to 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

In Deuteronomy 29:2-4, Moses provided the reason for this habitual breakdown as he addressed the people of Israel: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.” According to Moses, despite all they had witnessed firsthand, the people did not respond appropriately because of their inability to make the connection between the events and the sovereignty of their God. This and other similar stories in the Scriptures expose the major flaw in the signs and wonders movement. Miracles do not necessarily produce faith and trust.  

God performed one miracle after the other throughout their journey from slavery in Egypt to liberty in the Promised Land, and yet their response to every challenge remained anxiety ridden and fear driven. Similarly, even though Jesus did so many signs during his lifetime, most of the people still did not believe in him. (John 12:37) You see, people don’t believe even when the humanly inexplicable stares them right in the face, because spiritual sight is only possible once the heart is changed. 

In our Gospel passage for today, we see a very similar situation unfolding as Jesus continued to teach his uncomprehending disciples. Like all those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ authority over both the natural as well as the supernatural and all those who had heard his teaching, they too struggled to understand because of their preconceived ideas. Their entrenched false presuppositions hindered their ability to perceive the truth.

In verse 16, Jesus once again attempted to show them the glorious victory that lay beyond the event of the cross. His ‘leaving’ and his ‘returning’ involved a multi-step process. The crucifixion was the first step in his divine design to nullify sin and death, and thereby defeat the devil…but beyond the crucifixion lay the resurrection and the enthronement of Jesus and his eternal reign over a renewed and renewing creation. 

But between the crucifixion and the resurrection lay a short yet soul-shattering period in which the disciples would no longer “see” Jesus as the one they had assumed him to be. Instead of a conquering king, they would see an apparent convicted criminal…instead of a liberating messiah, they would see yet another casualty of oppression…instead of a source of eternal life, they would see a dead body wrapped in a shroud and entombed in a borrowed grave. 

But then there was the promise. After the statement, “A little while, and you will see me no longer;” Jesus added: “and again a little while, and you will see me.” They would see him die…they would see him buried…but then they would see him resurrected! They would see him ascend to heaven to be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords. And they would see him fulfil his promise to send them his life-giving Holy Spirit. 

So, what Jesus was trying to explain in this verse was that the cross…his ‘leaving’… was the necessary means to the throne. The cross was the zenith of his ministry on earth and the focal point of his incarnation. But beyond the cross, all authority in both heaven and earth would be given to him…all things would be placed in subjection under his feet. The cross was inextricably linked to the crown. The cross was the glory of the throne.

The author of Hebrews linked the two as one in chapter 2:8-9. “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, (God) left nothing outside his control. (Of course,) at present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him….but we (do) see him [who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus,] we do see him crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” 

You see, there is no crown without the cross. Of course, the disciples only understood this after the fact as at this point in the Gospel story, all they saw was their messianic hopes and dreams and aspirations slowly crumbling away. 

And like a group of seminary students, all wanting to know more, but afraid to be the first to ask the question for fear of appearing to be senseless or stupid, they turned to each other and vainly pooled their ignorance. “What is he talking about?” “What does he mean?” Or if these were some of the students I have studied with, they would more than likely have said something like: “Could you, perchance, elucidate or extrapolate the metaphysical implications of his utterance as it pertains to the grand tapestry of existential inquiry.”

But God knows our inward thoughts even before we think them…even before there is a word on our tongues, he already knows it completely. (Psalm 139:1-6)…so Jesus knew they were extremely eager to enquire. Their reluctance to question him did not fool him…nor does ours, for that matter, and so, in the verses that follow, Jesus explained something we all struggle with from time to time. The mysterious connection between suffering and true everlasting joy.

Jesus told the disciples that initially, during the first while when they would see him no longer, they would experience real sorrow which would, no doubt, include the full range of emotions associated with grief. Shock, disbelief, profound sadness, numbness, a sense of unreality, anger, guilt, fear, insecurity, and blame. To them it would seem as if their whole world had been turned upside down. The wicked would appear to have won a great victory and the disciples would be plunged into a nightmarish existence as all their dreams were sealed up in a rock-hewn tomb with the dead body of their one-time Rabbi. With their cause apparently lost with no foreseeable future in view…with all their hopes and desires dashed on the rocks of a cruel reality…with no obvious way of picking up the pieces of their shattered lives, what else could they do but weep and lament?

What could be more final that death? While he was alive, there was hope…but once he breathed out his last there was nothing more to hold onto. Its over…pack up the fragments of what’s left of you and move on to somewhere else. That is what the devil would have wanted them to believe…that’s what the world would have wanted them to believe…but Jesus promised them that their sorrow would soon be overtaken by something far beyond their wildest imaginations.

To illustrate his point, Jesus used the analogy of a woman in childbirth. He likened their momentary sorrow with that of a mother in the throes of labour. Once her labour was completed, the trial or her “sorrow” of her previous hours faded as she embraced her bundle of joy.

Now the analogy is complete in and of itself, but Jesus used this particular picture for a specific reason. In Isaiah 26:17-18 we read: “Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord; we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.” 

Can you see the connection here? Can you hear hope being dashed to pieces by despair? In both accounts, there was an anticipation of new life. There were definite symptoms pointing in that direction. But when push came to shove, pun intended, it all appeared to be hopeless…everything seemed to have been in vain…the pregnancy failed to deliver…instead of life it was flatulence. 

The disciples had been anticipating the kingdom…they had laboured for it and were willing to give their lives for it…but instead…they were defeated and deflated with nothing to show for their hope-filled three years with Jesus.

But Isaiah’s words did not end there. In verses 19 and following he continued with a great promise: “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. (So) you who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.”

By using the analogy of a mother in childbirth, Jesus was purposefully redirecting his disciples’ muddled minds to this messianic promise. Scripture must always interpret Scripture. There is a reason why we have all the books in the Bible. There is a reason why Paul said, “ALL Scripture is profitable…” And remember that he was referring to what we now call the Old Testament as the New Testament was still being compiled at the time he was writing. 

If we believe that the New Testament is dissing or dismissing the Old Testament, then we have bought into a heresy. I cringe when I hear people say, “Oh, but that’s Old Testament”. What on earth is that supposed to mean? That it has ceased to be the very Word of God? That God got it wrong the first time and now he needs to correct himself? 

And no doubt someone will throw in a dietary law or a law relating to the rituals and sacrifices…as if that is supposed to be an intelligent argument. But it only proves a superficiality at best and an ignorance at worst. We would do well to understand that there is a difference between the word “fulfilment” and the word “abrogation” or “abolishment” (Matthew 5:17). We must assume a basic continuity between the Testaments unless there is a clear indication of discontinuity. So, we must ensure that we know all of Scripture so that we can rightly discern and interpret Scripture.

End of rant…

So, by using the analogy of a mother in childbirth, Jesus was purposefully redirecting his disciples’ muddled minds to this messianic promise in Isaiah. What seemed to them to be no more than wind, was, in fact, the very breath of God giving birth to the Church through the resurrection of the first born. Together with the body of Jesus, those in him would be raised up by the Holy Spirit in a way reminiscent of the creation of the first human. As God breathed life into Adam’s lifeless form, so too the Spirit breathed life into, not only Jesus’s lifeless form, but ours too. 

As Paul said in Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies” and again in Ephesians 2:6-9, “he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”…and if we endure, he said to Timothy, we will reign with him. (2 Timothy 2:12)

Because of what Jesus did…because he “left” and then “returned”…because he died and was resurrected…because we are resurrected with him through the power of the same Spirit that breathed life into the first Adam…because of who we are in him and where we are in him, we can, as Paul says, “rejoice in our sufferings” because we know that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  (Romans 5:3-5) 

Nothing, dearest beloved brethren, nothing in all of creation can ever rob us of the joy Jesus gives to us because the cross was not some isolated or concluding event…the cross impacts all of existence as it was the beginning of the new creation, an age in which we who are in Jesus can know that constant presence of God which had previously only been possible in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. Life for those who are filled with God’s Spirit is a life shared with the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Once again, in an attempt to get the disciples to see the glory behind the sorrowful event about to overwhelm them, Jesus revealed to them the kind of joy they were to expect. First, there would be a joy of understanding. There would no longer be the need for these sorts of difficult explanations for those who walk in the Spirit because the indwelling Spirit would lead them in truth. The cross would rend open the heavens and grant us direct access to the very throne room of the Monarch of the universe. So, our joy, even in the midst of suffering and sorrow, is founded upon the knowledge that in God everything has a glorious goal and purpose.

Second, there would be a joy of efficacious prayer. Because of his victory on the cross, we can boldly approach the source and sustainer of all life through Jesus because he is the one and only true mediator between God and humanity. (2 Timothy 2:5) Jesus is the fulfilment of all the Old Testament laws pertaining to mediation…because he is both our sacrifice as well as our great High Priest, we no longer need doves, lambs, oxen, or other human mediators, regardless of how righteous they may be or may have been. 

As Hebrews 9:23 and following states: “(Jesus) has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” And so, our prayers are directly directed to the Father through the Son with the ever-present aid of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-28).

Beyond the sorrow lay a permanent joy. But looking at their crucified friend, the disciples would have seen nothing of the glory nor of the victory Jesus had told them about. Like their ancestors in the wilderness, their hearts could not perceive, neither could their eyes see, or ears hear. 

Can you identify with the disciples? How often haven’t we looked at something in life and seen nothing but darkness and despair? At that moment, it feels like life has taken us down a dark alley filled with all manner of terrors and joy is the furthest thing from our minds.

I think Jesus understands that. Notice that he never chastised the disciples throughout these dark predictions. He simply warned them that they would experience intense sorrow, but then added that their sorrow would turn into joy. (See Jeremiah 31) To them, that first night and that long seemingly endless Sabbath must have felt like years. Looking back, of course, they only saw three anxiety ridden days, but at the time, seconds must have dragged on like a lifetime. 

The worst struggle of all at times like these is that we search for answers…for reasons…for any kind of explanation that would help us comprehend why we have been overtaken by such unbearable grief. Very often, such an exercise is most unhelpful, as even if there was a reason, we would fail to fully understand it. Trauma is not usually alleviated by reason or logic or, cruellest of all, pep-talks. 

So, what do we do at a time like this? Jesus’ advice is that we firstly embrace our sorrow…truthfully and honestly and fully acknowledge it. In other words, do not deny the presence of the elephant in the room. We will experience sorrow – we will weep and lament – we will mourn and grieve. All too often we are told to ‘buck up’ or to ‘pull ourselves together’ or to ‘get a grip’ or to ‘fake it till we make it’. That’s appalling advice and the exact opposite of what Jesus says here. 

There will be sorrow, but as we grieve or struggle with whatever difficulty or insurmountable circumstance we have collided with, Jesus here encourages us to walk through the dark valley holding on to his promise of purpose. I truly believe that this is one of the reasons why God revealed himself to us through the stories of men and women just like us. There isn’t a human difficulty that we cannot find in the Bible, at least in principle. And that great cloud of witnesses help us to limp through our own personal tragedies because we know that if God never deserted them, so he will never desert us. 

The Lord who loves us promises us that every event in life, good or bad, is like a tool in his hand that he uses for our benefit. He can promise that because he has done so himself…he endured the cross because of the joy that he kept in focus throughout the ordeal. He pressed on through the pain because he knew the cross would give way to the crown. Yes, it is true that not all suffering or sorrow or strife may be removed in this life…not all will be healed, not all will be relieved…but we have a sure hope that will not fail and an eternity that nothing and no one can ever take away from us. 

God is not a man that he should lie (Numbers 23:19).  Whatever he has promised he will do. Whatever he has spoken, he will fulfil. Every word of God has proved true through the witness of those who have found refuge in him. But for us to be able to experience this truth, we need hearts to perceive. 

So, as you partake of the elements that remind us of the event that guarantees our eternal joy, pray to your Father, who gives generously to all who ask him, to grant you hearts to perceive his promises that triumph over suffering and sorrow.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2024