When I was growing up, people in my life would often make references to historical events that I didn’t really understand.
I remember my grandparents talking about what it was like living in Southeast Oklahoma during the Great Depression, the setting for Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” before the Joad family began their journey west to California.
My grandfather and his little brother traveled to California together when they were teenagers to find work. They rode their horses to New Mexico before selling them and taking a train the rest of the way.
I tried the best I could to understand the references they made, but there was only so much that I could actually understand.
I remember my mother describing what it was like and where she was when she heard that Elvis Presley had died and the affect that his death had on her and her friends.
In my lifetime, the United States has faced financial crisis, but it wasn’t the same as The Great Depression. In my lifetime, many of the musicians I grew up listening to died tragic deaths, but I don’t think their deaths had nearly the same affect as when Elvis died.
Try as I may, I can’t fully grasp historical references made by those who were there. Why does it matter?
It matters because we face the same challenges when it comes to scripture interpretation. In our text this week, Jesus is going to reference Isaiah, then Daniel, then Isaiah again. He’s going to reference things that he understands perfectly, but that his disciples couldn’t fully grasp until later when Jesus supernaturally gave them the ability to understand.
Just before Jesus went back to heaven, Luke 24:45 tells us, 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures
It must also be our prayer that as we seek to understand these things that are difficult for us to comprehend, and that He open our minds to understand the Scriptures as well. While there is no substitute for having actually been there, that is no excuse for not trying to imagine. God gave us imaginations, and He didn’t give them to us to use for our own devices.
Many who were eye witnesses of Jesus’ ministry missed Him entirely. Let us not be guilty of the same.
Much love!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
