Luke 20:8

THE SUFFICIENCY OF REVELATION

‘Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.’

Luke 20:8

What is the truth that is involved in our Lord’s answer—‘Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things’?

I. The principle of reservation.—God reserves to Himself the right to restrain, when He sees fit, that full manifestation of Himself which some men nevertheless demand of Him. There are some men, some women, in whose heart there has frequently risen up something of this resentment: ‘Why must I live in a state of imperfect knowledge, which is the result of a limited revelation?’ It was not only unto the scribes and the Pharisees, and the idle, gaping crowd that our Lord acted upon this principle of reservation when He was here on earth, it was so with His own disciples. How is the great central mystery of the Incarnation, for example, ever present in His teaching, and yet who shall deny that it is ever shrouded? How guardedly He speaks of the new birth by water and the Word; how mysteriously in the blessed sacrament of His own Blood and Body!

II. The revelation sufficient.—And yet shall we dare to say that the teaching which God in His mercy has vouchsafed to us, and the revelation that He has given to us, is insufficient? How much evidence of authority had He already given to those very scribes and Pharisees! Those who asked Him this very question as to His authority had never denied the facts—they had never dared to deny them. Yet you know what they had done—they had hardened their hearts and shut their eyes against them. It was possible for them to know long ere this by Whose authority He did these things. So for us it is possible to know, and to know with great certainty too, of Christ and His authority. What we need is sufficient knowledge to guide us unto the knowledge of God’s will. And such knowledge comes to men and women rather through the heart than through the intellect. ‘If any man will do His will, he shall know the doctrine whether it be of God.’ Will to do His will, and He tells you that you shall know.

III. Conditions on which knowledge is attainable.—There are conditions on which this knowledge is attainable.

(a) Purity of heart. It is purity of heart that enables men to see God, it is men who love God, and men who love each other as the children of God, who have the most perfect intelligence of God.

(b) Obedience. It has been well said that there is boundless danger in all inquiry which is merely curious! It is to such our Lord answers, and will ever answer, ‘Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.’ When men ask questions of Almighty God, by the answer to which they never mean to rule their lives, let them not think that to them any sign will be given. The will must be set to do the will of God before the intellect can act with discernment on spiritual truth.

(c) Earnestness. A life of trifling here is not the life of those who are enlightened by their God. God must be really sought if God is to be truly found.

A life of earnest seeking is a life of finding, but God’s truth is too sacred a thing to be expounded to superficial worldliness. There are others tried by intellectual difficulties, yet athirst for the living God, and for a fuller revelation to their souls. The time of granting this revelation rests with Him, and to them that revelation will be given. The answer to their cry will come; they shall know the doctrine whether it be of God; He will tell tell them by what authority He does these things.

Rev. Prebendary Villiers.