Nobody is arguing that every person sees and understands everything Scripture teaches. The religious leaders missed what the Old Testament said about Christ, but Jesus and the apostles were still able to show those truths from the Scriptures.
That is the point you keep avoiding. It is not enough to say that some people cannot “see” your interpretation. You still have to show that your interpretation is actually in the text.
The blindness of the Pharisees does not prove that the wilderness generation represents the old man, their children represent the new man, Jordan represents a second baptism, or Canaan represents entire sanctification. Those claims must still be demonstrated from Scripture.
Ephesians 4:13 does not teach otherwise. Paul is speaking about the body growing into unity, maturity, and the fulness of Christ through the ministry described in the surrounding verses. He is not saying that interpretations which cannot be proven from the text should be accepted because the church has not yet reached perfect unity.
Saying that others cannot “see” something is not biblical proof. I don't see it because it is not there. I am actually showing you from the actual Bible what it says so you can see it. Show where Scripture gives those meanings. That is still the unanswered question.
A parable itself is its own prooftext I think but we need to be able to "see" it. The new testament doesn't explain and expound all the symbolism/parables of the old testament....or even all the parables of the new testament. They need to be revealed by the Holy Spirit. It is a matter of seeing.
But what we are talking about here is in line with other scriptures, and there are so many scriptures that speak to this same theme it’s hard to know where to start.
First of all we need to remember these things are a matter of faith, not sight…..so not necessarily certainty of the carnal mind. We, in the flesh, are always wanting black and white certainty. But the Israelites crossed the Jordan by believing , having faith in, God’s promise, not by having a logical certainty based on logical reasons that they could defeat the enemies there. I believe when Jesus obeyed the Father unto death on the cross, He did it by faith, not by a carnal minded certainty that He would be resurrected again. He had to overcome His natural instincts for self-preservation in order to surrender to the will of the Father and be able to say, “nevertheless not my will but thine be done”.
Jhn 12:24-25
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone:
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and
he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Mat 10:38-39
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and
whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
This is seen in the OT account of bondslaves. A bondslave is one who having served for the mandatory time and then is freed, returns to the Master out of love, no longer under compulsion, and because his life (wife/children) is with the Master. He has no life left in this world apart from the Master. So then he covenants to remain serving the Master for the rest of his days by having his ear pierced to the Master’s doorpost. This is very reminiscent of the cross. Think it also speaks to listening at the Master’s doorpost…..hearing/obeying the Shepherd’s voice. Mary called herself a bondslave….covenanting to bear and give birth to the Son. Paul also at some point called himself a bondslave.
Exo 21:1-6
“Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:
“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.
“If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him.
“If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone.
“But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’
then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.
The idea of a complete surrender/consecration, giving up our rights to ourself so to speak, and it costing all that we have and are in this world to follow Jesus is seen here also:
Mat 13:44-46
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and
sold all that he had, and bought it.
Mat 19:16-26
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master,
what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up:
what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him,
If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That
a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying,
Who then can be saved?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible;
but with God all things are possible.
Being a rich man is alluding to having our own life, autonomy, possessions and concerns and goals in this world, not necessarily being rich financially. Seems to me that in following/obeying the Lord we are on a journey of losing all that we have and are in this world in order to become living sacrifices and gain Christ and eternal life.
