Have you wondered why some people are slow to understand spiritual things? Jesus often reprimanded his disciples asking them why they were slow to understand. It seems like God almost lost his patience while dealing with the slow pace at which the disciples were absorbing his teachings and operating in them.
"How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” - Matthew 16:11
15Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. 17“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? - Mat 15:15-17
Getting to the Root of the Problem
At that time, Jesus had not been crucified or raised back to life and the disciples had not yet been endowed with the Holy Spirit or been baptized by Him. So we wonder why Jesus was being impatient when the disciples failed to understand the import of what Jesus was saying and teaching.
The real problem was that even though the disciples had read the scriptures that revealed that Jesus would come and become the sacrifice for the sins of all humanity, they failed to have revelation into the purposes of God.
Luke 18:31-34 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
We know that God revealed amazing things about the future to Daniel, causing him to interpret dreams and visions because Daniel was a very faithful and dedicated servant of God.
Daniel 9:21-23 NIV While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
He would not submit to the enemy’s ploys but had such an excellent spirit that even his enemies could not find any means to frame him.
At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” - Daniel 6:5 NIV
The Disciples’ Minds were Not Illumined
God the Father had revealed His Son to the disciples by speaking from heaven. Yet they failed to grasp the awesomeness of God dwelling with them. They did not perceive God in their midst except in the moment God the Father revealed Jesus to Peter who said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. — Matthew 16:16-17
But for the large part, they lacked revelation on God’s purpose in coming to earth and what He was to establish through His death and resurrection.
Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? - John 14:9
Even if they had read all the prophecies by Isaiah and knew what had been written about the Messiah in all the scriptures, the disciples were slow to understand what the prophets had spoken.
24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. – Luke 24:24-27
They were not able to be united with Jesus in his hour of temptation and trial and intense suffering. In short, they could not see Jesus as their Lord God and Savior.
39Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. 41“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” - Mat 26:39-41
He had calmed the storm and walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead but they did not have the word of the Lord burning in their hearts as was the case with the two disciples whom Jesus met on their way to Emmaus. They were recollecting the matters related to the Lord after His death and this was the reason Jesus appeared to them. They were seeking answers. They needed to know. Their hearts were heavy and they were burdened and thirsty for understanding. They were not willing to let go of the teacher. They invited Him into their homes and opened their hearts and minds to the word of the Lord that burned in their hearts. This is the reason God opened their eyes to see Him!
In contrast, the hearts of the disciples did not languish with yearning or longing when He was with them. The knowledge was given to them but the insight was not given because they did not value the words of His mouth more than their daily bread. (Job 23:12)
Luke 9:43-45 NIV
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
So they failed to see the big picture and were confused and bewildered when the shepherd was struck. They were scattered and each ran in fear because they did not understand why these things were happening. God had already made it known to them but they chose to be controlled by their worldly mind and let Satan inject fear and mob them so that they went through untold suffering. The problem was that they could only see the smaller details of their lives.
So they could not see the kingdom of God come in their midst. It was not that they lacked imagination. They lacked revelation.
When the Disciples Received Revelation
Then how did they become mighty and establish the early church? They needed the mighty revealer — God’s Holy Spirit — to be given to them in His fullness. When the Holy Spirit rested on them on Pentecost, their spiritual bulbs came on and suddenly portals of revelation were opened to them and they went forth in power—as courageous instead of timid and fearful.
Until then they had no real understanding of who the Savior was (this is the reason why Jesus asked them who they thought he was) but now they could write whole encyclopedias on the Gracious Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. The reason: the Holy Spirit revealed to them all they needed to live victoriously.
Before they fought and argued about their places when the kingdom would come and over titles and designations that might be offered them for sticking around. Now they were eager to spread the Gospel and get beaten up and then greatly rejoice for being counted worthy to suffer for Christ (Acts 5:41). These same people who did not understand the purport of God living and dwelling with man now wanted to live for the sole purpose of being God’s kingdom ambassadors and continuing His work of destroying the works of the enemy.
Before they did not have any revelation into the things of God which is the reason why they had all the wrong expectations. We need to acknowledge that God is a God of Revelation. Everything He does in us and through us is only by giving us the manna of heaven. Every good blessing: healing, salvation, wholeness, prosperity, deliverance and so on are all dependent on the revelation of God’s word.
If we do not understand the word, we cannot operate in it. We will be powerless against the enemy and we will not have anything to give to those who come to us. So we must be hungering after God asking Him for His revelation. His revelation alone has the power to unleash miracles and blessings into your life.
Salvation is a work of God’s revelation. The word of God is always there and many read the Word and attend church but how many have revelation on who God is and why He has called them into His kingdom. Many who seek the Lord and come to him have read the word and been raised in the word but it is only in the moment that God’s word becomes Revelation that they receive it as a gift from heaven and are blessed.
If you desire to receive Revelation, what must you do?
Cultivate a prayer time —a dedicated time to seek God and be with God. Open your heart and speak to Him about everything that’s on your heart. Ask for forgiveness, let go of any offenses you may have against the Lord and be totally honest and transparent with Him.
Value God and increase your knowledge of Him. Meditate on His greatness from all the books in the Bible starting with Revelation, Exodus and so on. Greatly esteem the Lord for He is worthy to be praised. When we come into God’s presence, we come with the desire to know Him. We desire Him more than anything else in the whole wide world. Just like the bride waits for her bridegroom, we must wait in God’s presence so that God can give us the Revelation that we desire.
God is our loving Father who gives us every good gift. He loves it when we ask for Revelation because He promises that He will give His Holy Spirit to everyone who asks for Him. The Holy Spirit is the great revealer of the mysteries of God. So when He reveals His mysteries, esteem them and value His words more than your daily bread.
“I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you” (Jn. 16:12-14AMP).
Those of us who are blessed with the Holy Spirit should pray in tongues for doing so opens revelation of God’s plans and purposes for our lives. The moment we receive the revelation of God is the moment of greatest Joy for a believer because he gets to receive that which is truly precious and valuable in God’s sight. God is able to give us every good blessing only through revelation. Seeking God’s Revelation must therefore become a daily routine or an integral part of our lives.
The sign that God is working is that His peace will return and you feel light inside. You will often feel your joy return. He can speak any time He likes. So you can go about your routine as usual and suddenly, God will drop revelation into your spirit. The important thing to do is to stay focussed all day on God’s word as you keep it before your eyes and attend to do it. This is key to experiencing more of God—being faithful with the little so that He can give you more.
Continue to obey and hunger and thirst after Him for more understanding. The more you pursue, the greater will be the level of your breakthrough. It all works on trust and believing in Him even when we cannot see Him. Jesus pronounced that it is more blessed to not see and yet believe (John 20:29). Don’t be disquieted when you hear of others’ experiences. God leads each one according to His discretion. They need what they are given. So don’t compare notes and just run your race. Don’t obscure God’s plans with words without knowledge. Be faithful in how God is leading you and surely, He will reveal even more as you are diligent and focused on Him.
God’s word reveals in Jeremiah 33:3: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ There is great miracle working power in God’s revelation. This has not been emphasized enough but I was blessed to listen to a recent message by Pastor Ike Akabogu on “The Role of Revelation in Your Expectation”. You can listen to his video teaching here:
I pray God will give you deep revelation into His word so that having equipped yourself with the true understanding of heaven, you will be able to perform mighty acts of power that glorify God. Hallelujah!!!
Additional Scripture References
Heb 5:10-12: …and was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek. 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!…
Ezekiel 12:2: “Son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
John 8:43: Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
Romans 3:11: There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;
Matthew 13:15: For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’
Psalm 82:5: They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Micah 4:12: “But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, And they do not understand His purpose; For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
Matthew 13:13: Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
2 Timothy 3:7: always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Deuteronomy 32:28: “For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them.
Psalm 106:7:
Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses,
But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
Isaiah 27:11:
When its limbs are dry, they are broken off;
Women come and make a fire with them,
For they are not a people of discernment,
Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them.
And their Creator will not be gracious to them.
Jeremiah 4:22:
“For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”