Luke 24:44-45 (NIV) He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

The disciples had a tough time understanding Jesus. A lot of what Jesus said went way over their heads. They must have been mesmerized and bewildered at the same time as they watched Him perform great miracles and as they listened to Him speak new truths that were totally foreign to their ears. One time, He warned them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and somehow, they thought that He said that because they hadn't brought bread on the trip. You can safely say that they missed the point altogether. There were many instances like that, which include the various times when He spoke about suffering and dying. He told them that He would be killed, and that He would be raised to life on the third day. They so missed this point that on the third day after He had been crucified, they didn't even go check to see if He had resurrected. They weren't expecting it to happen.

Finally, after Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them showing them His hands and feet, they understood that He had risen from the dead. They were still confused about it even when they had heard the report from the women who had seen Him, but now they began to understand. Jesus then started to explain what had just happened in light of the prophesies and the writings of Moses, and this is where He supernaturally "opened their minds" so that they could get the full picture and understand the purposes of God. Before Jesus did that for them, they were in a helpless state. After that, they not only understood, but after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the upper room, became bold enough to go out into all the world to preach and explain the good news of the gospel.

Today, there are many people who struggle in understanding the things of God because they are about prophesies, miracles, and supernatural things. People have a hard time making sense of the Bible and many times just don't get it. What they need is what the disciples needed: to have Jesus open their minds. The Bible tells us that spiritual things are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). Human wisdom is no match for the wonders of God and for the treasure that is found in the scriptures. That's why we all need to ask the Lord for help each time we pick up our Bibles to read them. Ask the Lord Jesus to open your mind so that you can get the full picture that the Word of God offers and so that you can experience it as the living Word that it is. Ask and it will be given to you. That's what Jesus said. Don't stay in the dark or in the shadows about the things that the Lord Jesus wants you to see and understand. It is exhilarating when you begin to understand the scriptures in the light and knowledge that He will give you!

Pastor Joey Vazquez