Hidden In Plain Sight

If you have your Bible, please open them up to Matthew 13.

We are in our series called, “A Rock of Offense”

The gospel is an offense to those who are perishing. This is no surprise to us today. We look around at the world, and we see how the majority of people in the world hate religion… and not just religion… people hate God. People call good things evil, and all the while they celebrate that which is wicked.

But this isn’t reality isn’t new to days that we are living in today. Rejecting what is ultimately good is demonstrated most clearly in the Scriptures when the crowds rejected Jesus. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, and the only sinless man, was rejected by his own people. He was falsely accused of doing evil.

They not only doubted his goodness, but they called him a lawbreaker and accused him of having power from demons… They kept pointing the finger at Jesus, and all the while, they failed to realize that they were the ones who were the lawbreakers under demonic control. Though they claimed to be good, they were full of evil.

The condition of the world that is offended by Jesus is not new. This is what we are learning about in this series.

Today we are going to do something unusual. We are going to skip past v1-9 for today(don’t worry we will come back to v 1 next week), and we are going to read v 10-17 and v 34 and 35.

So let’s stand together for the reading of God’s Word.

Matthew 13:10–17 ESV

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Matthew 13:34–35 ESV

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Let’s pray

Have you ever lost something that is in plain sight?

I have… Often times I franticly run around the house looking for my shoes, when they are at the front door where I always leave them… I fail to find them, even though they are right there in plain sight.

Other times, I’ll be looking for my phone, and not realize it’s been in my pocket the whole time.

Or have you and your parents ever lost your car in the parking lot? I do this often enough… I’m thankful for key fobs that can help me find my car.

And I also need a fob for my keys so I can find my keys when I lose them as well…

Somethings are hidden even though they are in plain sight…

Here’s the thing; the greatest prize, the most precious thing in all creation, is hidden, even though it is in plain sight.

That precious prize that is hidden in plain sight, is the truth of the gospel.

Seriously, think about it - we are so busy trying to find life, joy, and satisfaction in all kinds of things.

so we will try to find life in by making sure that life doesn’t pass us by… or by making sure we stay healthy so that we don’t die, and we buy better clothes, better homes, and the like, so that we might increase our quality of life

We try to find joy by looking under every rock - be it in our relationships, be it in our stuff, be it through every kind of distraction… every person is on the hunt for joy.

And no matter how much we buy, no matter how much we eat, no matter how much entertainment we consume… we are always always needing something new to satisfy us.

But the source of all life, of all joy, and all satisfaction is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ… and the gospel is contained in the Word of God. Do you have access to a Bible? I do… and I know you all do too… and yet we are still searching for life in every other place than the Word of God. We are on the hunt, joy and satisfaction as if it remained hidden even though it is on our shelf.

Here’s the problem, even though the source of every good things is right before us… many of us continue to reject that which is good. That’s what today’s text is all about.

Remember, Jesus… the source of life, walked among his people… The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah all their life… they grew up hearing about him, and they were on the constant look out for him.

And when he finally came, they rejected him, because though he was before their eyes, he remained hidden in plain sight.

The crowds have rejected Jesus repeatedly… and because of their rejection, Jesus began teaching the crowds parables.

This chapter is full of parables…

For those who don’t know, a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a truth.

Jesus was famous for his parables… his most well known teachings are mostly parables…And these parables are memorable too aren’t they?

Most people (Christian or not) know something about the parable of the prodigal son

We remember the parable of of the sower

Or how about the parable of the Good Samaritan?

Each of these parables reveal truth… and parables are very memorable…but this is not the main reason Jesus taught parables.

You see, even though parables are memorable, they are often times confusing.

In fact, Jesus’ own disciples immediately understand his parables… and so they asked Jesus this in v10

Matthew 13:10 ESV

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

Understand this, Jesus parables don’t just communicate what is true… more than this, Jesus’ parables were riddles… parables are confusing and enigmatic.

Teachers aim for clarity, not confusion…If a teacher only confuses people, well they are bad teachers… but Jesus was not like most teachers… Most teachers teach to be clear not confusing. But Jesus was not like most teachers. See, Jesus has wisdom that no other teacher has… and he knows that there are some who don’t want to learn from him. And because of this, Jesus taught through the riddles of parables. Listen to how Jesus responded to his disciples question;

Matthew 13:11–13 ESV

11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Jesus had already clearly demonstrated who he was time and time again. He taught the crowds through the sermon on the mount… they heard his teaching… he proved who he was through his many signs and wonders when the crowds saw Jesus heal the sick and cast out demons… but regardless of these demonstrations, be it his teaching or his healing, many remained confused, and more than this… offended by Jesus.

And so, Jesus is now done speaking in plain speech. He will teach now in parables…

Matthew 13:34–35 ESV

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

1. While parables reveal truth to Jesus’ disciples, they also conceal truth from his enemies.

So for us who are following Jesus - parables reveal truth

We ought to listen to Jesus’ parables carefully

We ought to listen to all of God’s Word carefully

Whenever the Word of God is opened, we ought to all press in closely to try to discern what it is that God is saying.

As a preacher, I have a weighty responsibility to rightly handle the Word of God

But as listeners to the Word, we all have a responsibility as well… we have a responsibility to listen well… we all must work to discern what the will of God is in his Word. Because in this Word, we have all truth that is needed for salvation and godliness.

Reading the Bible isn’t an optional hobby for some people… reading the Bible is no more optional than oxygen is optional for life.

We need the truth of Scripture, we need the truth of the gospel. So we would do well to listen carefully.

But the thing is, not all who hear the Word actually hear the Word. The truth of the gospel, though spoken one’ own language, to some, it continues to sounds like a foreign language… you see, though the gospel is plain and clear, there are some who will fail to see or hear...

Matthew 13:14–15 ESV

14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

2. Those who don’t understand the Word will not be saved.

So we need to understand the Word of God. But we aren’t left to ourselves to understand everything right away…

Even here in this chapter, the Apostles didn’t understand the Jesus parables, so the disciples asked Jesus about the parables. And time and time again, Jesus explained meaning of the parables to them…

But to understand, you must ask!

Again, in the Acts, we hear of Philip explaining the prophet Isaiah to the Ethiopian eunuch.

Acts 8:29–31 ESV

29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

And again in Daniel, after Dan explained Neb’s dream he said,

Daniel 2:47 ESV

47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

It’s not just apostles and prophets though that open the Word of God for his people…

Ephesians 4:11–14 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

So understand, God has given us means to understand the Word… but the most important means that we have at our disposal is prayer.

Psalm 119:17–19 ESV

17 Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. 18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. 19 I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!

If we understand anything of God’s Word… it is owing to the fact that God had opened our eyes so that we can see and he has opened our ears so that we can hear.

This is why even in teaching, we pray… and when you open God’s Word for your personal reading you should pray as well. For any knowledge about God and his kingdom comes from God. This is why Jesus said,

Matthew 13:11 ESV

11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

Knowledge of God is not earned… it is not something we gain through merely by our own effort or work . Rather…

3. A saving knowledge of the Word is a gift that can only be received from God.

If you understand the word… be it parables, prophesies… be it the law, or God’s love… if you understand the OT and the NT, it is owing to God’s grace.

It’s a funny thing that some who claim to have a knowledge of the Word can be puffed up with pride.

Christians have nothing to boast in besides the cross.

If you hare puffed up, it is owing to the fact that you know nothing at all.

If you find the Bible to be boring… then pray, and ask God to open your eyes to behold Christ for all he is.

If you are unsatisfied, ask God to give you a hunger and thirst for righteousness so that you can taste and see the goodness of God.

If you are confused about the Gospel, then ask God to shine the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in our hearts.

And if we have see, and hear… that is, if we believe and confess that Jesus is Lord, then give God praise for his grace to save you from your sins. You see, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, then you have every reason to give God praise.

4. Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear are blessed above all.

Blessed is a funny word to most of us, but it simply means that you are favored, and happy.

Those who have faith, are favored by God

Those who have faith, have above all happy

Jesus told us,

Matthew 13:16–17 ESV

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

All the saints of the OT and the prophets who penned Scripture, longed to see Jesus.

And if we believe, it is owing to the fact that God has given us spiritual sight… and if we understand the word of the cross, it is owing to the fact that God has given us ears to hear.

We are blessed, because of what the prophet said would happen…

Matthew 13:15 ESV

15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

In other words, those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will turn from their sin and receive forgiveness and healing.

So, let us ask God for faith so that we might receive this blessing…

Let us press in and pay attention to the word so that we might see and hear

And when he grants us faith day by day, let us give him praise and glory.