Luke 24:45 NIV
“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”
This verse caught my attention today. Contextually, it occurs when Jesus reveals Himself, risen and alive, to His disciples. Easter! They doubted that He was real, not just Thomas, but all of them. Jesus invited them to touch Him and give Him food. This was an attempt to show He wasn’t a ghost or a figment of their imaginations, He was real and alive.
Then, He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Why did they not understand it already? Hadn’t they been traveling with, studying underneath, and witnessing all that Jesus did… For three years? There were even closed door meetings where Jesus explained why He was there and what He needed to accomplish. Yet, they didn’t understand. I just don’t get it.
So were the disciples ignorant to the purpose of God? Were they blinded by their own desires for what they wanted God to do? Or is it that the purposes of God are just too far out of reach for us humans?
I have two conclusions:
Sometimes circumstances cause us to forget or misunderstand truth that has been right there with us the whole time. I remember two years ago, pretty much this exact time two years ago. My life was in shambles. I had failed miserably. I’ll be the first to admit, I doubted the validity of the truth that was around me. I’ll never forget my father saying, “Now is your chance to believe and rely on all the things you have been teaching for years.” That statement felt like this verse to me. “My mind was opened to understand…”
Secondly, I believe that we frequently think we’ve got it all figured out, yet, unbeknownst to us, we miss the point. I think Thomas is a great example of this. We see evidence from other passages that most of the disciples placed faith in Jesus’ Godhood before the Passion Week. Thomas however doesn’t declare faith until this moment in the story. He traveled with Jesus for years and witnessed all the miraculous works. Yet, he didn’t believe. I bet he thought he understood. I bet he thought his faith was placed in the right place. But it wasn’t until he put his fingers into the holes in Jesus’ wrists and stuck his hand inside the spear hole in Christ’s side… Yet Jesus was alive, breathing, tangible, and eating fish. Jesus looked at Thomas and said, “Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas’ response? “You are my Lord and my God.” The light bulb moment. His eyes were opened.
So here’s my challenge: Are circumstances in life suppressing your faith? Allow God to open your mind to the truth. Do you think you’ve got it all figured out? Examine your faith and allow God to empower you to work out your faith, build His kingdom! Edify those around you both Christians and not!
Praise God, He is risen! Praise God, He is real!
