Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Psalm 119:18
We have a lot of sayings and idioms in our culture. I imagine this is true for all cultures. “It’s raining cats and dogs outside.” “Don’t jump down my throat!” “Cat got your tongue?” This list could go on and on.
Is it not logical to conclude, then, that these types of figurative sayings also existed in Jesus’ day? Further, might He have used some of the idioms of His day? Yes, He did.
I have mentioned a couple in previous devotionals. Specifically, in The Search for Truth on Day Nine, we looked at Matthew 24:36: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Long story made short, Jesus is using an idiom that describes the Feast of Trumpets, which takes place in August/September each year. It starts on the first day that the new moon is seen by two independent witnesses. This uncertainty over the day is why no one knows the day or the hour. Jesus is simply stating that He will return on a future Feast of Trumpets, not addressing the uncertainty of His return.
On Day 25 of Digging Deeper, we looked at how Jesus referred to His Second Coming like “a thief in the night” (Matthew 24:43; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–2). The High Priest would sometimes sneak into the temple like a thief in the night to make sure everyone was doing their duty. If not, there were consequences (Revelation 16:15).
Here is another example of a Hebraic idiom. In Luke 13:35, Jesus is sad for the people of Jerusalem, and He says: “you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” This was also proclaimed as Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we now refer to as Palm Sunday (Luke 19:38). This phrase—“Blessed is he who comes”—first appeared in Psalm 118:26 and is actually a proclamation used at a Jewish wedding when the bridegroom approaches the bride. This prophetic statement is telling us that, one day, Christ will return for His bride, the church (Revelation 19:6–8).
This is a challenge for us in the modern Western world. We cannot necessarily take every word of the Bible at face value. We need to do our best to pursue the original intent and meaning, to understand Jewish history, culture, and context. This can only be accomplished through further study and prayer, asking God to open our eyes to the “wonderful things” in His Word (Psalm 119:18).
