The essence of Protestantism is seen in Mt 13:10-17.
“The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Jesus then says that Protestantism was predicted by Isaiah! “This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them.'”
To His obedient Disciples, He says: “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
An obedient disciple connects that passage to the last half of John, Chapter 6. Jesus spends 33 verses repeatedly telling the crowd “If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood you do not have life in you.” Everyone except His Disciples walked away.
The essence of Protestantism is clear. We must pray that our dear Protestant friends make this plea: “God, grant me knowledge of the mysteries of The Kingdom of Heaven.” Within that knowledge? Jesus’ words to the man He put in charge of The Only Church He Founded: “I give you the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.”
