The World • Devotion 4

A God of Clarity
Sydney Kimball

“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.” John 16:25

Let me ask you a question, “Who can hold a candle to Jesus and His teachings?” Now, without speaking literally, I was able to ask you, “Who can compare to Jesus and how He teaches?” The answer to this question would of course be “no one,” and that is because Jesus understood the importance of clarity in His teachings. He utilized figurative language in order to bring ease to those attempting to process and learn the principles of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus spoke in parables and figures of speech because speaking literally of the things He was teaching would have been extremely confusing to those listening. They had no point of reference or experience with these kinds of ideas He was sharing. For example, religious leaders of the time were baffled by Jesus’ remarks about never tasting death in John 8:51. They could not wrap their minds around the concept of receiving eternal life after experiencing a bodily death. Jesus was speaking of the things of Heaven, but they could only see through the lens that their earthly understanding allowed for. They had only ever known a physical, bodily death. In his commentary, Ellicott explained what Jesus was saying, “He shall indeed die, but that death shall only be in this world, it shall not be in the world which is forever.” Of course, this “world which is forever” is a reference to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus knew that in order to share truth with those whose flesh would reject it and teach about the incomprehensible Kingdom of God, He would need to simplify the concepts and put them into terms that those at the time would understand.

Much like teachers do today, He used figurative language and stories that took objects and concepts common to those He was speaking with to teach them about the wonders and ways of God. Speaking figuratively helps students understand a new concept by placing it within the context of something they are familiar with. Just like marbles were used to teach mathematics, Jesus told stories or parables that took concepts such as farming or building a house to teach His important lessons. Jesus taught the disciples differently before their faith became sight. They were told of the events to come but could not even begin to wrap their minds around them. Just as we struggle to understand the book of Revelation and the events that have not yet occurred, those taught by Jesus struggled to grasp the Kingdom to come and all of the other amazing signs and wonders to follow.

Ultimately, our God is not one of confusion, He is a God of clarity and peace. The way in which Jesus taught displays this perfectly. He strived to preach the truth in love and did so in a way that was clear and intentional. This season, ask God to help you understand the Gospel with a new level of clarity. Take the time to meditate on the sacrifice of our Savior and attempt to see it with fresh eyes. The Holy Spirit is our helper! Partner with Him and allow Him to help you interpret the miraculous nature of the cross. The Gospel is clear and simple despite the incomprehensible love that brought it to us. We will never fully understand the grace and mercy of our Lord, but we can stand in agreement on the power of the events leading up to Easter and the beautiful events to follow. Our Lord paid it all so that we could have a new life and relationship with Him. That is a beautiful thing; slow down and let that soak in. God will bring clarity to your confusion. Partner with Him to see the world with new eyes and new understanding.