Thought for Thursday
Then Jesus sent the multitudes away and went into the house, and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. Matthew 13:36
Only once did I have the privilege of being in the premier’s office. I had made an appointment, so I could do a series of short interviews for use in our year-end news reports. When the appointment time arrived, I was there, and the premier admitted me to his large and very comfortably furnished office. We sat down in a couple of those comfortable chairs, and for half an hour, we discussed a number of topics. I asked a variety of questions, and he responded in a candid and animated manner. It struck me as we sat there that I was privileged to have the undivided attention of the most powerful man in the province. But it was not anywhere near as great a privilege as the disciples had to sit and listen to the Lord Jesus explain His parables.
The multitudes heard their messages, but the disciples heard the explanations and had an opportunity to ask all the questions they needed in order to understand. To the multitudes, Jesus was a fascinating teacher, a great healer, and a very interesting person. But to the disciples, He was the Son of God, the infinite wisdom and the fount of all knowledge. And they were privileged to sit down with Him and have His undivided attention. He was glad to explain things to them, and to have them appreciate His presence. From that time until now, the Lord Jesus has always been glad to meet with His own, to expound His wisdom and to open their understanding.
Matthew 18:20 reminds us of our Lord’s presence. Why does He make such a promise, and why is His presence important? It’s important, because He wants us to understand His Word and to know that it is He Who gives us this understanding. We have not dreamed up our understanding of the Word of God from our own ideas, our own concept of God’s purposes, our own interpretation of the doctrines of Scripture. No, we have received our knowledge from time spent in the Lord’s presence, and from others who have done the same. For example, godly men of a couple of centuries ago spent much time and study to glean from the Word of God those truths that we know today as the principles of God’s Assembly. These precious truths are also appreciated and reinforced in our souls today as we continue to spend time in our Lord’s presence with His Word.
It is not only a great privilege to spend time learning from our Lord Himself, but it is also the only way to learn the deep and precious truths that bring us closer to Him. -Jim MacIntosh