Identify Jesus as LORD

 After Jesus spoke the parable of a sower, He explained how blessed His disciples were to have such revelation from the living God while the unbelieving remained ignorant in Matthew 13:16-17: "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; ¹⁷ for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  Those who believed Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God could listen to and understand Him, but those who did not believe He was God made flesh remained in darkness.  Jesus again and again repeated His claims of being one with God, that He was equal with God and told Thomas, "He that has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  The scribes and rulers who did not believe He was the Christ narrowed their eyes and repeatedly asked in their interactions with Jesus, "Now who do you make yourself to be?"  Those who would not believe could not receive His words.

In contrast, how bright is the Light of the World Jesus Christ who illuminates the meaning of God's word in the Old and New Testament!  The Old Testament hinted and alluded to the coming of the Christ, the Gospel and the eternal kingdom of God opened to Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus, and it was Jesus who fulfilled many prophesies in Himself.  Micah 4:1-7 is a good example of how knowing Jesus as LORD opens our understanding to the things God will surely bring to pass when Jesus establishes His kingdom in Jerusalem during the Millennial reign upon Christ's return:

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. ² Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ³ He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ⁴ But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. ⁵ For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. ⁶ "In that day," says the LORD, "I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast and those whom I have afflicted; ⁷ I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation; so the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever."

We can know we are not in this season of rest from war because of the conflicts that currently embroil the world.  The temple mount is not currently "exalted above the hills" and with COVID restrictions people are not flowing into it, neither are the lame being assembled or the outcasts gathered.  There is no one speaking forth the word of the LORD from Jerusalem the entire world currently hears and responds to.  To people who looked forward to sitting under their own vine and fig tree without fear in peace Jesus came and proclaimed His identity as the LORD God who teaches us His ways so we can walk in His paths.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  The Torah provided no assurance of eternal life, but twice in this passage we see allusions to the kingdom of God enduring "forever and ever."  A pious, Jewish rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked what thing he needed to do to secure eternal life--because he had done all from his youth and remained in doubt if he had done enough.  The scribes searched the scriptures, thinking in them they had eternal life, but they testified of Jesus who gives eternal life.

The teaching of Jesus reveals we cannot do anything to earn eternal life but it must be received as a gift of God by faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus said in John 3:14-16, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  The prayer of Jesus affirmed this again in John 17:1-3:  "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."  Believing Jesus is the Christ and eternal life is entered into by faith in Him alone opens our understanding to His teaching and illuminates the scripture to know God.