In Matthew Chapter 13, we find the following scripture regarding the ministry of Jesus Christ here on earth.
34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
We see from this that Jesus came to reveal things that were previously unknown and “kept secret” by God from prior generations. But now, with the benefit of historical perspective, we can easily see some of these “secret” things that were revealed by Jesus.
One of these previously-hidden things was the kingdom of God being opened to the Gentiles. The Jews knew all about the kingdom of God, and in fact, thought that they were the kingdom of God. But Jesus revealed that God’s plan for mankind included salvation for all men, not just the nation of Israel. Jesus said, in John 10:16:
Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold...
And in Romans 11:11-12 the apostle Paul said, speaking of the Jews:
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Another “secret” thing Jesus revealed was the promise of the Holy Spirit. This promise was revealed way back in the Old Testament in the second chapter of the prophet Joel, but the eyes of the people were not opened to understand the wonderful implications of this passage of scripture. Jesus opened our understanding of the scope of the Holy Spirit baptism and His ministry in the church. Prior to His coming, the ministry of the Holy Spirit with regard to the personal believer’s indwelling was a sealed mystery.
Another secret thing revealed by Christ was the concept of the suffering Messiah and his atonement. Once again, the scriptures were there in the Old Testament for all to see, but they were hidden under a cloak of secrecy. The Jews focused on the more dramatic second-coming Messianic scriptures, expecting the Messiah to come with power and glory, delivering them from their enemies and restoring Israel to her former glory. They missed the scriptures that foretold the passion and death of the suffering Savior.
All these things were kept secret by God and revealed to the church during the ministry of Jesus. However, there is another important concept that Jesus revealed which is of crucial importance to all believers. That concept provides the subject for this writing. That concept is the revelation of the importance of faith toward God.
In the entire Old Testament, in well over a thousand pages of God’s word, the word “faith” appears only twice. Once in Deuteronomy 2:20 and again in Habakkuk 2:4. And yet, in the New Testament, “faith” is mentioned over 200 times! The true scope of the potential of faith toward God, while always a vital and crucial concept, was “kept hidden” during Old Testament ages, only to be fully unveiled by Jesus during his ministry.
We now consider the concept of faith and believing God as a matter of course. This is why Christians are called “believers”. But this doctrine of faith was not so clear to the Old Testament saints. They did have a murky and primitive concept of faith, demonstrated by their admonitions to “trust in the Lord”. But the full implications of the power of faith toward God were hidden from all but a select few in Old Testament times.
From no other prophet, teacher or holy man of any persuasion in the history of mankind was this teaching presented. Only Christ was sufficient to this revelation to mankind. Although we now take the concept of faith for granted, at that time it was new, radical, and revolutionary.
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