There are Only Two Ways to Listen
I had a thought the other day and I can’t stop thinking about it. I was finishing up
a reading plan with Tara-Leigh Cobble, and it takes you to the same story in each
of the gospels at the same time, and I started to see something I never saw
before: how the people were listening. So then, I looked at their responses to
other healings and miracles and words of Jesus in the gospels and I noticed these
phrases:
‘Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the
leaders of the people were looking for a way to kill him, but they could not find a
way to do it, because all the people were captivated by what they heard.’ (Luke
19:47).
‘Immediately, he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a
result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, ‘we have never
seen anything like this!’ (Mark 2:12).
‘So, he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had
done for him, and they were all amazed.’ (Mark 5:20).
‘They were extremely astonished and said, “He has done everything well. He
even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”’ (Mark 7:37).
‘When the chief priest and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew he was
speaking about them. Although they were looking for a way to arrest him, they
feared the crowds, because the people regarded him as a prophet.’ (Matt 21:46)
‘And they were all astonished at the greatness of God.’ (Luke 9:43)
‘But the chief priests had decided to kill Lazarus also, because he was the reason
many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.’ (John 12:10)
These a just a few that I noticed but here’s my thought: there are only two ways
to listen to or read the word of God: with humility and an open mind, or with a
doubting mind. And that’s exactly where I found myself a few years ago when I
was at my lowest. Through the bad choices of my husband that affected me, and
then through my own bad choices! I doubted God’s goodness, I doubted His
word, and I went my own way. This went on for a few years, but God didn’t let go
of me! (and if you know Him, even if you’ve made bad choices like me, He won’t
let go of you, either!) I have to say that when I first returned to the Lord, it was
with reluctance. A last resort. I knew nothing else would make me happy, but I
wasn’t sure that God would either. So, I was not exactly reading the word of God
with delight: not yet at least. But I kept reading, and as I read, I prayed that God
would open my eyes. That I would see his love. And that I would not get upset at
something that I didn’t understand or that I ‘didn’t think that a loving God would
do that.’ Whatever it was, I reminded myself of two things: He is God, and I am
not. And second, I simply don’t have all the facts. There was probably something I
didn’t know. So, I kept reading. I started in the book of John and started to see
Jesus. So many things I didn’t know about him! And something happened as I kept
reading: I started to be captivated by the word of God! Do you know what
‘captivated’ means? It means spellbound; eager to hear; very attentive; not
wanting to miss a single word! And that’s where I found myself one day: I woke
up and my first thought was about God. Where’s my Bible? What are You going to
show me about Yourself today? Wanting to ‘hide his word in my heart’ (Psalm
119) like never before! I still feel the same way I did back in 2018 when I
discovered how loved, how treasured I am by God! And He wants you to know
the same thing too!
But there is another way to listen. The Pharisees had the same opportunity to get
to know Jesus as the ordinary people did! But they listened differently. They had
already made up their minds not to believe, because that would take away their
power and authority. It would have required humility, and they couldn’t do that.
‘The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and
scoffing at him. And he told them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the
sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired in the sight
of people is revolting in God’s sight.”’ (Luke 16:15)
‘After looking around at them all, he told him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did,
and his hand was restored. They, however, were filled with rage and started
discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.’ (Luke 6:10,11)
Do you see the difference? The Pharisees allowed their jealousy to blind them.
Their greed. They saw the same miracles as the people did, but they made the
choice not to believe! Their arrogance got in the way of meeting Jesus and finding
joy and peace and a future!
So, here’s my thought: start reading your Bible and ask for understanding. As I
kept reading, I got captivated. And as that happened, my trust grew! I realized
that God is good! His plans for me are so good that I could not even imagine how
good: I knew that once, a long time ago, but when my life got hard, I forgot. I had
stopped reading my Bible, and fixed my eyes on the world, which cannot offer any
hope. Now however, after tasting the goodness of the Lord, I don’t want to drift
away again!
So that’s my prayer for you if you are reading this: you have a choice. You can
listen to learn, or you can listen to doubt. If you choose to doubt, God will seem
far away. But that doesn’t have to be true for you! Choose to get to know Him
and watch your love for Him grow! You will be captivated by His words, and you
will never be the same.
