Father, thank You for the focus to get through so much today in preparation for Sunday’s services. I would humbly ask that You would continue to direct my thoughts. Make this time together what You would have it to be. Amen.
John 8:33-47(<<click here to read the passage)
There has been a joke circulating for a little while. Maybe you’ve heard it?
An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for several years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100 %.
The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.” The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven`t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!”
In our home, a common banter back and forth consists of, “I think you need hearing aids!” and the response is, “What?”
In reality, hearing loss is no laughing matter. As we get older many of us need help. Without our hearing, we miss out on so much of life. With the help of hearing aids, life is greatly enhanced.
My mom’s hearing aids are Bluetooth. When I call her, her smartphone automatically links my call directly to her hearing aids and she can hear me loud and clear. On occasion, I have called earlier in the morning and when she answers, she asks me to hold on for a moment. When she comes back, I usually find out that she was washing her hair and had taken her hearing aids out. If they are on the counter and not in her ears, they are just useless pieces of plastic and hardware.
Throughout this discourse between Jesus and his Israeli listeners – they listened to Him to a degree but didn’t really hear Him.
In verse 43, Jesus said,
“Why do you misunderstand what I am saying? It is because [your spiritual ears are deaf and] you are unable to hear [the truth of] My word.”
Jesus plainly points out that they were spiritually deaf. Though they claimed to be followers of God, the heavenly Father, in reality, they were followers of their father, the devil. Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil…” v44
He continues by saying that the devil is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths. They did not believe Jesus [and continued in their unbelief] even though He spoke the truth. (v45)
Jesus’ final statement in this passage is,
Whoever is of God and belongs to Him hears [the truth of] God’s words; for this reason you do not hear them: because you are not of God and you are not in fellowship with Him.” v47 AMP
As creations of God, we have physical ears and we have spiritual ears. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, we can hear His guidance loud and clear, if we are really striving to hear Him speak. It is another one of those “free will” things. He will not force us to listen. He wants us to. And we are so much better off when we do. But it is our choice. If we are of God, we belong to Him and we will hear the truth of His words. To hear or not to hear, that is the question.
July 6th, 2021, Tues, 10:09 pm
