Keeping Secrets

All of us have secrets. Some are big, some are unimportant, and some would cause us to go into hiding if the wrong person found them out. Of course, I have secrets as well. Only I know how to make my extra fluffy whole wheat pancakes on Saturday mornings. Only I know which peg on my guitar needs a little extra turn to keep it in tune. Only I know how much effort I put into my daily struggle with sin, my efforts to be sanctified...

As I pondered this secretive idea today, I couldn't help but wonder how Christ dealt with all of His secrets. He had them, you know. Do you think Jesus was in the dark about what was coming in the world? He knew about the new tablet coming out. He knew about the Cubs World series victory in 1908. He knew that the Roman empire would eventually fall and the church would evolve into what it has become today. He knew that things like Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Apple would eventually describe more than just a snack.

He knew that He would die and that billions would die in His name. He knew exactly how an individual should be baptized in the church. He knew how the end times would turn out, which translation of the Bible would be most accurate, and how we would struggle with ideas like the atonement, the New Covenant, and the proper way the liturgy of a service should go.

So, if he knew all of these secrets, why didn't he reveal them to us? Why didn't he tip off His disciples that Latin would eventually die and Nero was going to blame the burning of Rome on the Christians. Why didn't he warn them of the medical dangers of eating undercooked meat or that acne might come from too much fat in your diet.

The truth is, we don't really know why. But, we do know what Christ did reveal. His sermons spoke of timeless truths, of a heavenly kingdom, of having spiritual rebirth. All of those "secrets" He knew about may have had a temporal value, but they were nothing compared to what He revealed to us in His sermons, parables, and example. The Holy Spirit continued in this vein, focusing the authors of the New Testament to focus on spiritual truth rather than secrets that would gain a temporal edge over others.

Are we content with that? Is it okay that there are secrets kept from us? Sometimes it is important to keep things secret. Otherwise our focus will shift to the thing revealed rather than what we should be focusing on, the task in front of us. The task Christ gave us was to preach the gospel, to make disciples, and to take up our cross daily and follow Him. I think we have all we need to accomplish that. Knowing when the next Cubs World Series win will be, or which company to invest in might make for a more comfortable life, but I think I would be pretty distracted with worldly things if I knew those answers. As Moses said 3,500 years ago, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Deut. 29:29)