One of my passions is teaching. I love to watch people as they listen and the Word comes alive to them. In a classroom setting there will always be those who are intent on learning and those who are there in body, but their mind is somewhere else. As a mom, many times I saw the same blank stare from my boys when I would be giving them instructions concerning their chores for the day. Often, I would say, “Are you listening to me?”
Listening is always important, but who the speaker is determines the scale of the importance. In John 1:35-37, we find John standing and seeing Jesus coming toward him. He declares Jesus for the second time as the Lamb of God. Andrew was with him, and they both heard Jesus speak and they followed him. They listened, they understood, and they obeyed.
John 1:35-37 “Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”
In John 5:2-9, we find Jesus at Bethesda. There were many sick and handicapped people there sitting by a pool of water waiting for the angel to stir the water so they could get in the water and be healed. Jesus finds a man who had an infirmity for 38 years, and had never been able to get into the water first so he could be healed. Jesus has compassion on him and tells him to “Rise, take up thy bed and walk.” The man obeyed and immediately he was healed. Again, we see someone who listened and obeyed. In this case the man probably did not understand completely but he obeyed.
John 5:2-9 “Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.”
Maybe you are like the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-22. He wanted to know how to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him what to do, and his reply was that he had done all those things. Then Jesus told him to go and sell all that he had, give it to the poor and come follow Him. The young man was listening he understood what Jesus said but was unwilling to obey. He was willingly disobedient.
Matthew 19:16-22 “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”
Where do you fit among these three examples? Are you like the disciples who listened, understood, and obeyed? They were truly seeking to know how to please Jesus. Are you like the lame man, listening but not understanding, yet you obey? This only happens when we place all our trust in Jesus. There will be times when doing the right thing may not yield what you desire, but because you know it is right, you trust Him and do it anyway. I have been in this situation many times in my life. Maybe you are like the rich young ruler; you hear, you understand, but you are not willing to give up everything for Jesus. You want Jesus, but you want Him on your terms. God is always speaking to us throughout our day, and if we are listening, tuned into the Holy Spirit, we can hear Him. We are responsible for His commands, whether we hear Him or not. It is our job to listen and then obey. It is your choice, and only you can make the decision. Just remember, God has made many ways for you to know what to do. He gave us His word, He gave us preachers and teachers to expound the truth to us, He gave us the Holy Spirit to direct us and bring to memory those verses we have studied, and He has given us direct access to Him through prayer. We are responsible for all that we hear, and we are accountable for all we could have heard if we were listening. Are you listening?
