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LISTEN TO ME
He called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all
of you, and understand.”—Mark 7:14
As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let
him hear.”—Luke 8:8
And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she
had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his
teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she
went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has
left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord
answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about
many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good
portion, which will not be taken away from her.”—Luke 10:38-42
The entire life and work of Jesus is one great argument why we
should listen to his word. Page after page of the New
Testament Gospels pile up reasons to turn off the television and listen
to Jesus. Here are some of those reasons—and why so many
don’t listen.
The reason Jesus’ words awaken faith in him is that they reveal
who he really is and what he does to obtain eternal life for us. We
see the glory of Jesus and the all-sufficiency of his work through his
word. But not everybody does. Some hear his words, but do not
hear them as true and compelling. They see what he is talking
about, but do not see it as beautiful and convincing. So Jesus said,
“This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do
not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand”
(Matt. 13:13).
When Jesus was on trial at the end of his life, Pilate pressed
him to confess that he claimed to be the king of the Jews. Jesus
responded by saying, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose
I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth” (John
18:37). Jesus came to speak the truth. His words are truth. Pilate
responded cynically, “What is truth?” In other words, there was
“no place” in Pilate for Jesus’ words. But that did not take Jesus off
guard. Nor did it mean that Pilate had hindered God’s plan. Jesus
had the final and decisive word about Pilate: “Everyone who is of the
truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).
When he had said this, he turned to his disciples and said, “Blessed
are the eyes that see what you see!” (Luke 10:23). Blessed indeed!
Blessed by God. This seeing is the work of God. Only God can give
us eyes to see and ears to hear. That’s why Jesus says that those
who do not listen to his words are not “of God” (John 8:47). This
is the blessing we desperately need—the blessing that God would
make in our hearts a place for the truth.