Note 1 at Lk. 14:1: These Pharisees and lawyers had their attention on Jesus and they were even anticipating Jesus healing this man with the dropsy, but their motives were all wrong. They were scrutinizing Jesus and his actions to find something wrong that would justify their rejection of Jesus.

Likewise, it is not enough for us to just read the Word or go through the motions of seeking God. Our motives must be pure. Titus 1:15 says, "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled." Anyone who approaches the Word of God with a critical attitude will not have the Lord open its treasures up to them. Its truths are revealed from faith (God's) to faith (ours [Rom. 1:17; Heb. 2:1]).