Holy Boldness

inner workings of the ways of God. For instance, they were allowed to ask Jesus privately the meaning of some of His parables. Jesus informed them that some of the meanings of His teachings were hidden from some, “…but to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” (Matt. 13:11) Was this a deliberate action by Jesus to conceal the meaning from certain people? I think this statement from Jesus is better explained by the awareness that truth conceals itself from those who do not have an authentic desire to know. Many people want privileges without responsibility but this is not the nature of truth. Truth places a demand upon those who possess it. With great advantages come great responsibilities. Many people love to learn some new teaching but they view it as entertainment instead of life-changing lessons. “To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48). It is a dangerous thing to receive revelation but not to incorporate it into one’s life. “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:18). Fresh revelation demands a response and a change of heart. When people are always gaining new revelation but never incorporating it into their hearts, they grow hardened and proud. “Knowledge puffs up,” Paul warned, “but love edifies.” (I Corinthians 8:1) This is why Jesus chose men who were teachable and moldable. Indeed, to be a disciple of Jesus one had to “embrace His message,” which means that one had to incorporate it into one’s life. Jesus stated in John 8: 21-32, “If you continue (abide) in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The issue of abiding in His word means to fully ingest the message. The words of Jesus had to take hold of the disciples and shape who they were. This is why Jesus took the job of choosing His disciples so seriously and spent a whole night in prayer finalizing His decision. Of all the significant acts that Jesus did, nowhere else is it said, “all night he contin ued in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12), except the night before He chose the twelve disciples. This highlights how important Jesus’ choice of ministry companions was to His mission. Truth places a demand on those who possess it.

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