The Hidden Treasure and The Four-thousand-Year-old Mystery
We recently did a podcast series on what theologians and bible scholars call “The upper room discourse”. If you listen to our podcast guardinggrace.com it is not a mystery or hidden that I am neither a scholar or theologian but I do like repeating scholarly phrases. What makes the upper room discourse aka John Chapters 13-17 unique is that Jesus was speaking plainly and not speaking in parables. The only occasions Jesus did not speak in parables was when He spoke privately to His Twelve Apostles and the U.R.D was one of those times. Mark 4:11 states “The secret of The Kingdom has been given to you. (The Twelve Apostles) But to those outside (the crowds) everything is in parables.” The same rule is repeated in Matt 13:34-35 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; and without a parable He did not speak to the crowds. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” In Psalm 78:2 The Psalmists prophecies“I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old”. This fact did not escape Jesus in John 16:25-29 He tells His Apostles “All this I have spoken to you in veiled language (parables). The time is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in veiled language, but will tell you about the Father in plain words. At that time you will make your requests in my name; and I do not promise to ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father Himself holds you dear, because you have held me dear and have believed that I came from the Father’s presence. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.” After Jesus spoke these words, His apostles picked up on the idea He was speaking plainly and no longer in parables. “Ah, now you are using plain language,” said His disciples, “and are uttering no figure of speech! Now we know that you have all knowledge, and do not need to be pressed with questions. Through this we believe that you came from God. Do you at last believe?” replied Jesus. When Jesus said “all this I have spoken to you in veiled language”, He meant before the upper room discourse, I spoke to you in veiled language about the same things I am now telling you plainly. Now even though Jesus is speaking plainly and not in parables that hide, there was still something keeping His words a mystery. That something was that “The Holy Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jesus said“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Paul told the Corinthians the same thing “What no eye has seen and what no ear has heart and what has never entered into the mind of any man as a revelation, God has revealed by His spirit.” This came from a prophecy in Isaiah 52:13-15 that in veiled language stated an innocent man had to be falsely accused and condemned to death by the same people that memorized this very prophecy yet did not understand it. For if they had understood they would not have crucified and scourged Jesus to the point that He was unrecognizable. “Look, my servant will succeed! He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted – (just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man; his form was so marred he no longer looked human – so now he will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about. (Isaiah 52:13-15)
In other words, the cross was not God judging Jesus but the cross was mankind judging God. Understanding something they had not heard about is “the hidden treasure” and the hidden treasure is Christ in you the hope (certainty) of Glory. And Christ in you the hope of glory is the 4,000-year-old mystery. Let’s now look at this through all three lenses.
1. The hidden treasure and the 4000-year-old mystery as hidden in the parables
2. The plain talk of the upper room discourse
3. The mind of Christ that understands the things freely given.
The parable:
Matt 25:14 “The kingdom of God it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
Matt 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
Matt 25:16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more.
Matt 25:17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more.
Matt 25:18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it.
Matt 25:19 After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them.
Matt 25:20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
Matt 25:21 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Matt 25:22 The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’
Matt 25:23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Matt 25:24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed,
Matt 25:25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
Matt 25:26 But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?
Matt 25:27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest!
Matt 25:28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.
Matt 25:29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
Matt 25:30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This is a parable told just days before the upper room discourse. You know where the disciples said now, you’re speaking plainly. The parable of The Kingdom of God is like a man that goes on a journey but equips his servants with needed talents. The talents are the currency to participate in the kingdom’s economy. After a period of time the man who went on a journey returns and calls into account the servants. The one given five talents (five is the number of grace) and the one given two talents (two is the number of abiding) produced a 100% return. The one who was given one talent had no revelation of grace or abiding and also viewed God as a demanding task master who is impossible to please. He was alienated in his mind from God
The upper room discourses:
John 14:2 I am going away to make you ready John 14:3 And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too.
Jesus, like the parable, is the man that goes on a journey. Like the parable; going away enables His servants to become equipped for productivity (talents). He tells the disciples He will make them ready to receive the helper (by making them clean) and this helper will remind them they are already clean. He tells them the helper that reminds them they are clean also reminds them they are more than clean they are also righteous. He tells them whenever they feel judged guilty it is coming from a liar who himself has been judged guilty already. He tells them when He goes away, He will not leave them as orphans because God will be their Father. He tells them His Father not only loves them, He likes them and they can ask of Him and He will also give them what they ask for. He tells them the key to producing anything in the kingdom is done by depending on the vine (Jesus in Spirit) and not themselves (the branches).
The spiritual understanding of parable and the fulfillment of the 4000-year-old mystery:
When Jesus said He was going away He was going to the third Heaven to present His perfectly lived life to His Father in Heaven. Jesus gave His perfect life for us.
1Cor 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. Jesus laid down life is the foundation of our Christian life.
1Cor 3:12-13 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. In the parable each were given talents which were the measurements used to give the value of silver gold and costly stone.
1Cor 3:14 If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward.
Silver gold and costly stone are the fruit of the spirit and can never be produced by human effort (the flesh)
1Cor 3:15 If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
It is the works that are judged and not the person. They are judged to be flesh produced or spirit produced. You will never produce the fruit of The Spirit If you have the idea that God is angry at you.
Col 1:21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions.
Col 1:22 But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him —
Col 1:23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
You will not produce the fruit of The Spirit if you have forgotten Jesus made you ready by making you a clean vessel.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. II Peter 1:5-10
You will not produce the fruit of the Spirit if you believe the reason you are suffering is because of unforgiven and unconfessed sin.
Col 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church.
Col 1:25 I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,
Col 1:26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints.
Col 1:27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Col 1:28 We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.