Luke 24:25-27 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ* have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Once again we are comforted to find that the early disciples weren’t any different from us, and that God was patient with them. Jesus certainly didn’t hesitate to call a spade a spade, whether it was people who were for Him or against Him, but He always did it in love. He didn’t just say these disciples were unbelieving with dull hearts, He then went on to correct that condition. We all need that kind of help! This passage also teaches us that the whole Bible speaks of Jesus, if we have eyes and hearts to see it. I have seen the figure of between two and three hundred direct prophecies of Christ being in the OT, but I haven’t confirmed that personally. There could well be more, but a problem in counting is what we call a direct prophecy and what is a reference, and whether we divide a prophetic passage up into multiple prophecies. In any case, focusing on numbers distracts us from the reality that the whole Bible is His book, because it expresses God’s plan for and dealings with mankind, and Christ is the very center of that plan. Every time we open the Bible we should expect to see Jesus, because it is the Word of God, and He is the Word of God. (John 1:1)

I have the incredible privilege and blessing of having been steeped in Scripture from infancy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I really see, understand, and appropriate it all. I too am slow to believe the prophets, and my heart is dull. However, by God’s grace I have made some progress along the way. I need to be aware of that grace, and never be dismissive of those who have more trouble believing in some areas than I do. One person in particular comes to mind, but we all need to keep growing. I must be very careful not to discourage, but always impart faith and anticipation of what God is going to do. I am to call a spade a spade, but always in love and gentleness. It’s interesting to try to imagine Jesus’ tone of voice in this passage! My goal must always be Him speaking through me, because only then will His perfect will be accomplished.

Father, thank You for all yesterday held. Thank You for Your anointing in the two services, just as I asked. I pray that what You spoke through me would remain in the hearts and minds of all who heard, producing abundant fruit in Your time. Thank You particularly for keeping me from pulling any punches in the message here. I pray that the man who has been coming off and on for about five years now would be unable to forget what he heard, unable to rest until he commits himself to Jesus Christ as Lord. May we all be emboldened to believe You, trust You, and follow You more completely in all things, so that all of Your plans for us may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!