Some people love to solve mysteries, the more complicated the better! And for many the Bible is a mystery, God is a mystery. Our reaction can be: God is a mystery, we can never understand Him. Or: I need to spend time and think about this mystery: Who is God?
Many Jews continue in their waiting for The Messiah, but there have also been thousands of Jewish converts across the world who have seen and understood this mystery. The mystery that Paul was explaining to the Roman church is that God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His Son.
This verse comes in the explanation that Jesus gave after telling His disciples the parable of the sower. He often spoke to them in parables, some were clear, others did not have obvious meanings, they were mysteries! There are many things about Jesus that remain mysteries for many of us.
The Corinthian church were being split by the fact that some of them had become Christians through the teachings of Paul others through Peter. How many churches today have similar problems? People go when their favourite preacher is there, others will not go because their favourite preacher is not there!
What a humble approach we see in Daniel! His claim was not that he was super intelligent, or knew more than anyone else. He was very sure that God had given him the necessary revelation, and answer to the mystery. In fact it was not as big as it seemed.
Where two or three gather…. Daniel and his friends had been young men when they were taken to Babylon after King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. They were all good-looking young Jews born into noble families. They had had a good start in life and that certainly helped them in future situations.
Parts of the book of Daniel seem to be full of mysteries, and many of them seem only to be able to be solved by someone with The wisdom of the gods. At least that is what this suggests. Daniel was one with a relationship with The One true God.
The mysteries of God have been hidden since Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, but that has not stopped people from thinking they know Him and how He thinks. Many scientists, historians and theologians have spent many hours trying to understand the mysteries in the universe God created.
Today is Easter Day. Happy Easter everyone! This verse could be a challenge for all of us today. How many of the words of Jesus do we remember? We must be prepared at all times to share our faith, remembering much of what Jesus Himself told His followers to do.
Did it really need the Israelites to get into such a state of exhaustion from their slavery for God to hear their cries? No! God was waiting for the right person to be the right age with the perfect upbringing, to be in a position to listen to His voice.
EN 
FR