WHY DID HE DO IT?

WHY DID HE DO IT?

                Why did Jesus teach in parables, stories and pictures rather than presenting us with a systematic theology?

                The entire history of Israel was a story portraying man’s fallen condition and promising a solution, a Messiah, a true sinless Lamb that would take away the sins of the world. The sanctuary of Moses pictured for us the fact that a veil stood between us and the presence of God. Only the High Priest could enter into the Most Holy Place with the blood of a substitute sacrifice; but in the New Covenant we see Jesus as the sinless sacrifice and a High Priest who could enter in by a new and living way, by His sinless blood shed on our behalf.

                And so what do we see at Jesus’ death?               We see the veil into the Most Holy Place torn in two from top to bottom. The veil is removed in Christ. We can now come boldly before the throne of grace.

                We often seek to interpret Jesus’ parables and stories so that we can neatly fit them into our systematic theology, but we rarely, if ever, ask why Jesus taught this way. We can readily answer that it is known that truth is best preserved in pictures, stories, types and shadows and so on, but there is another reason. Jesus wants truth to be more than a list of facts and theological doctrines. He wants truth to be experienced as a living reality in our lives. He wants truth lived, not just talked about.

                One of the big problems Jesus had with the Pharisees is that they had all of their theological ducks in a row, but their theology was not designed to accommodate a real living Person. They could argue their facts right down to the gnat’s eyelash, but when truth stood before them in living reality, they could no longer recognize it.

                The big question today is…Have we done the same thing? Have our doctrines and theologies served to push their living realities out of the way? Do we not cling to our doctrines even as we ignore that our bodies are actually temples of the Holy Spirit. Do we not maintain faithfulness to our denomination even as Jesus remains a stranger to our hearts? Do we not hash and rehash our doctrines over and over again, lining up our proof texts? Do we not satisfy ourselves with living in the theory of truth rather than operating in the power of it?

                And what do we do? Rather than to receive the promised power to live like Jesus lived when He demonstrated the gospel of the Kingdom, we develop theologies to accommodate our lack of power. We say those powers ended with the apostles. We say that as if the promised Holy Spirit went back to heaven with nothing further to do after the apostles died. Whaaaaaat!?    

                God created us with two hemispheres in our brains. One hemisphere, the left brain deals with logic, theory, scientific and mathematical fact. The other hemisphere, our right brain deals with creativity, imagination, spiritual concepts and faith.

                And while a certain amount of logic is important and while we do need to have our doctrinal ducks in a row, Jesus taught in pictures, parables and stories in order to wake up our right brain. For instance, imagination is the only link between the seen and unseen worlds. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Those that come to Him must believe that He is and that He will reward those that diligently seek Him. But how do we believe in something that is unseen?    The fact is God gave us divine imaginations to picture things that are not seen. He said so in Hebrews 11:1, 2. He said: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.”

                So how do we cross that gap between theories to an interactive faith in the realities of God’s Word? It is our God given imaginations that bridge the gap. And if we think that facts and theological doctrines are enough then why do we sing, “Come into my heart Lord Jesus?” We don’t sing, “Come into my brain.” It is with the heart that man believes unto salvation. What we may first hear with our brains, must make its way into our hearts if we are to be saved. AS a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

                God has graciously stored His truth in pictures, in Israel’s history, in types and shadows, in parables, pictures and stories so that we can picture and imagine and enter into the realities of truth… beyond theory… beyond fact… beyond promises and prophecies to living and walking in the invisible realities that all of these pictures represent. It is not enough to store these things as facts and doctrines. We must enter into them and live them even as Jesus did.

                In praying about these things early this morning the Lord spoke into my spirit and said: “I came into the world to be the visible image of My Father. I came as a living temple of God; a body was prepared for Me, conceived in a human womb. A spiritual Seed from My Father and a physical seed from my human mother, I became a living tabernacle through which men may enter within the veil.”

                “The Old Testament shows us that the way into the Most Holy Place was blocked until I could bring a more perfect sacrifice and sinless blood… a more perfect atonement. And true to this picture of My salvation the veil in the temple was torn in two upon My death.”

                “The only way for sinful man to enter within the veil is to enter into My death. In that death the veil is removed so that in the power of My resurrection a new eternal life is born. You have passed from death into life. You now live by that new spirit and not by the old flesh since it is truly dead.”

                “The problem is men have turned these living realities into theological doctrines and theories that they can bat around and discuss without actually entering into them. Left-brain facts will not enter you into the living realities of my unseen kingdom. Man must see these things with his heart       and believe them and embrace them and walk in them until they become more real than the visible world around them.”

                That is why I taught in stories, pictures and parables. That is why I Myself came into the world as a living demonstration of salvation and of the powers of the age to come. Facts and theories are not enough. I have come that you might have life and that life is in Me. Embrace Me. Believe in Me. embrace all that the Word says about Me and then let Me become your new reality. I AM the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one enters My kingdom but through Me.

                I am calling My remnant people into this new and living way. It is all about a relationship with Me… living by My Spirit… walking in My Words… doing My works… bearing the fruit of My Spirit. “

                 Systematic theology has its place, but never, never, never will it save you unless it leads you into My death and resurrection and a completely new life in My Spirit.

                Does Jesus speak to you? Does He teach you things? Are you hearing His voice? You need to open your heart’s door and you can do so by embracing unseen realities by faith. Use your God given imagination to bridge the gap between empirical evidence and the unseen realm of the Spirit. Those who come to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

                How do you seek Him? By faith you must see the open door and step through it into God’s presence by the blood of Jesus. John the Revelator did this, for in Revelation 4 it says:

                “After these things I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven and the first voice which I had heard like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me said, “Come up here and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven and One sitting on the throne.” Rev 4:1, 2

                We are forever scratching our heads to figure out what John is talking about and we know that he is speaking about earth’s final events; but what if he is also providing visual aids so that we too, can step through the open door and see the things that the Bible Writers spoke about?

                We have all but wiped visions and dreams and angels and such from our vocabularies and yet the Bible is full of them. Visions, dreams, angelic appearances, miracles, types, shadows, parables, stories and the ultimate demonstration of God’s kingdom is Jesus Himself who was the express image of the Father. He came to demonstrate kingdom life so that we could walk in it and not just talk about it.

                Paul said in Colossians 2:16, 17: “Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”

                So why did Paul say that? Is it not because we tend to stay in a left-brained worship of the facts rather than in a right-brained worship of the Person? Do we get stuck observing the symbols rather than entering into the realities they represent? It is time to enter more fully into the living realities of Christ’s Kingdom. It is the final message to go to the world and it must be attended by His Spirit and His power.

                Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 8:10: “To you it is granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables; in order that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand.”

                But Jesus has now poured out His Holy Spirit so as to guide us into all truth. Do we really want to remain among those who do not see, or hear or understand? Call upon Jesus today and ask Him to open the eyes of your heart. Selah.