He Opened Their Mind
Luke 24:44-46 (ESV) – Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…
The Apostle Paul did not believe Jesus was the Christ at one time. He persecuted the church and fought against the early believers. He heard the preaching of the gospel from Stephen, yet his eyes remained shut to its truthfulness. What changed? How did he become the greatest missionary in history? He encountered the Lord while traveling down the road and his eyes were opened.
The Lord did not force him to believe. He simply gave him the capacity to recognize the glory of Christ. In seeing it, he did the most natural thing possible: believed. Our passage is similar in nature. Jesus joins two men walking down the road. They are discussing the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but don’t recognize that it is Jesus. As He travels with them, Jesus begins teaching them all the things about the Christ foretold in the Old Testament. He begins with Moses (the first 5 books of Scripture) and then the Prophets (most of the remaining books) and the Psalms (the largest book) and demonstrates how all of them point to Jesus.
Our text reveals something magnificent. It says “he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” What’s fascinating is that these Jewish men walking the road probably knew all those texts Jesus read and explained. They had encountered them before. But what they lacked was the deeper understanding. They read them, but didn’t understand them. Understanding comes from the Lord. In fact, it very clearly states that Jesus “opened their minds.” He provided understanding. This is the work of grace in our lives. The Lord gives understanding for us to see.
Do you see and understand the Scriptures today? Then give thanks to Jesus. He reveals the truth to our minds. We are not capable on our own. Without supernatural help, it will never penetrate past our brokenness and blindness. But Jesus graciously gives us eyes to see and hearts to receive His Word. If you belong to Him, He opened your eyes too.
Luke 24:45 (ESV) "Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,"
Jesus graciously gives us eyes to see and hearts to recieve His Word. If you belong to Him, He opened your eyes too.
Reflection & Journal:
- Why is it necessary that God “open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures”?
- What does this teach us about the role of the Holy Spirit in making biblical teaching efficacious?
- How should this affect our posture when reading the Scriptures and approaching sermons?
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