“Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45).
How desperately we need Yeshua to open our minds to understand the Scriptures as well. To be clear, Yeshua is referring explicitly to the Hebrew Scriptures, that is, Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Without an understanding of these Scriptures, Yeshua’s life will remain a partially closed book, like watching a 3-D movie without the special glasses.
Consider, for a moment, the often overlooked importance of the Psalms in Luke’s account of the crucifixion. In Luke 23:34, the soldiers cast lots for Yeshua’s garments, an obvious reference to Psalm 22:18. In Luke 23:35 and 37, those mocking Yeshua and telling him to “save himself” unwittingly echo the words of Psalm 22:7-8. In Luke 23:36, the soldiers give Yeshua sour wine to drink, clearly an allusion to Psalm 69:21. And last but not least, Yeshua’s final prayer on the cross in Luke’s account is a citation of Psalm 31:5.
How desperately we need Yeshua to open our minds to understand the Scriptures as well.
Each of these allusions to the Psalms is a nugget of gold, a treasure waiting to be discovered. To read these Psalms with “opened minds to understand” leaves us at the foot of the cross in awe of their striking fulfillment in Yeshua.
So much of Luke’s Gospel, and indeed the New Testament as a whole, invites the reader to ponder the life and teachings of Yeshua in light of the Hebrew Scriptures. So please, Yeshua, please open our minds to see and understand the Jewish Scriptures!
“Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law” (Psa 119:18).
