DEPTH PERCEPTION: Seeing Things As They Truly Are

 

Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  (Mark 12:24)

We do not live in a flat world, but in 3-D.  Things have depth and proper vision recognizes that.  When we lose depth perception, it is difficult to walk without falling or grab something without failing.  Depth perception helps us see things as they truly are.  In the twelfth chapter of Mark’s Gospel, we see those with a distorted spiritual vision.  If we understand what Jesus is teaching, it is because we have spiritual depth perception—we see things as they truly are. 

For example, we see SALVATION AS IT TRULY IS (v.1-12)  The religious leaders of Jesus day, rather than receiving the Savior who had come, had decided to devise a salvation of their own religion and ritual.  God planted and provided for His vineyard, Israel, and expected fruit.  The religious leaders were to cultivate the spiritual welfare of the nation.  God sent his prophets to look for fruit and they were hated.  Then, He sent His Son and they would kill Him! This rebellion would bring retribution.  Others would receive the vineyard and become the people of God—the Gentiles who largely comprise the church.  Christ quotes from Psalm 118 (v.10-11).  Those Christ came to, evaluated Him, and decided He was unworthy to be the Messiah, but God had made Him the chief cornerstone!  In Christ alone is salvation!

Then we can see SUBMISSION AS IT TRULY IS (v.13-17)  There was the perception among the Herodians that submission to Caesar was in order—to compromise with Rome would secure their status.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, saw this as defiling and rebellion was demanded.  They sought to draw Jesus into the middle of the conflict—knowing He was bound to alienate someone.  These men were not seeking truth, but setting a trap.  They lacked depth perception.  Jesus tells us that we do have a Christian duty to the state.  As bad as we might hate to pay taxes, and may disagree with how much of it is spent, we receive benefit from the government and are responsible to fund it.  We are responsible to be good citizens by submitting to the laws of the land.  Ultimate allegiance, however, is to God—so civil disobedience may be needed if man’s laws contradict God’s!

Furthermore, we observe RESURRECTION AS IT TRULY IS (v.18-27)  The Sadducees did not understand the resurrection.  It was a doctrine they rejected.  Not believing in the resurrection is what made them “sad you see”!  They were the liberals of their day.  The argument hinges on the tense of the text and that says much about the reliability of Scripture!  Many denominations are headed for the ecclesiastical garbage dump because they have abandoned the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints.  They have turned their ears from the Word of God unto fables.  Liberal preachers have sown the seeds of error and we are reaping the bitter harvest of evil in moral relativism in America.  Such know neither the Word of God nor the power of God.

Do you have a Biblical worldview that enables you to see things as they truly are?  Open our eyes Lord, so we may have spiritual depth perception!