Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes | Sermon Video
Do you enjoy riddles? They can be both fun and frustrating, and most people find them entertaining, as long as the answer is forthcoming after sufficient effort is exerted. It may be that you solve the mystery yourself, or possibly the mystery-bearer rewards you with the meaning because of your honest effort. Either way, everyone involved can celebrate that what was once mysterious or misunderstood has now been made plain to see for all.
What is common in the riddle game, and because it is a game, is that the participants are all voluntary. Do you want to hear a riddle? If not, you are happily permitted to turn down the invitation. Maybe you are just not willing to invest the mental energy; perhaps you don’t have the time, or it could be that you’re just not interested —or not good at riddles. Some people find the challenge exhilarating—others irritating; no worries, it’s voluntary anyway.
But, what if the riddle-solving was mandatory, part of your job description? And what if you were never given full disclosure when you took the job? And what if quitting the job is literally impossible? Literally! Suddenly the game is no longer voluntary and not at all amusing. You are not a volunteer, but are instead being volunteered, or better said “voluntold!”
It looks something like this; “It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” What does that even mean? There are three parts to this riddle. First there’s a part that is very easy to miss, and quite contrary to how it looks. “It has been given…” This piece appears a bit like a gift, and isn’t accepting of a gift voluntary? Yes it is. But, this is NOT actually a gift; it’s a demand.
Read it this way; “You are required to…” Ah, the gift that keeps on giving, or should I say taking. Then there is “…to you…” Who is the “you” in the riddle? This is the obvious part that anyone can solve, even those not good at riddles. You might not like the obvious, but nonetheless, the you is you! And finally, the third part, which has all the makings of a classic, almost impossible-to-solve riddle; “…to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” What is that? And where do you even begin? And why do you suddenly have a pit in your stomach?
Let me explain. The pit is because knowing the answer is not at all voluntary; it’s required of every Christian. When you took the job as a Christian, no one told you that this was part of the job description. There are two common reasons for that. First, you wouldn’t have understood, and God designed it as such. Then, it’s likely no one around could accurately explain anything intelligible about the mysteries of the kingdom anyway, even those who had been in your same job for many years. That part is sad, but true. So, let me help you out. You have been voluntold to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
You must begin by defining the kingdom. And that is why Y’shua spoke in parables; and that is what you must learn. Let’s do a practice run before we begin. Parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like immortal fish that multiply in the ocean…” Think it through like this: If all the fish in the sea never died, would they eventually multiply so much that they raise the level of the ocean? The answer is no! Why? Because everything that makes a fish is ALREADY in the ocean! In other words, everything that will ever be, already is! That is what the kingdom of heaven is like. Meditate on that and then think about how Y’shua fed thousands of people with a few morsels of food, and had an excess left over. You won’t ever be relieved from your job requirement to know the mysteries of the kingdom; but, as you become skilled at unraveling those mysteries, you will get relief from that pit in your stomach.
Leave A Comment