Listen and Learn

John 7:44–46 (ESV) Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

This is an amazing moment that we often breeze by in our reading. The chief priests and Pharisees wanted to arrest Jesus so they sent a guard to seize him. But they came back empty handed. Why? Because His teaching was that astonishing. His teaching was that powerful. 

This is an incredible example of the power of God's Word. It can change the hardest of hearts who hear it.

Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The Psalmist rightly declared the power of the Lord's Word.

Psalm 29:4–5 (NLT) The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. 5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

One thing is certain in the Book of John, John is making a profound case for the power of Jesus' words. Luke does this too. It is astonishing how this is such an emphasis in the Gospels. We tend to look for what He did... the miracles and signs.  But the guys who followed Him keep emphasizing how what He said brought about the real change in people's hearts and lives.

Never discount the power of God's Word. Speak it, preach it, hear it, read it, study it, examine it and love it. It's the POWER of God made manifest in our hearts. It WORKS and never returns empty (see Isaiah 55:11). God's primary activity toward His Creation is speaking. The Bible begins and ends with the Lord saying something. God is a speaker. We are to be listeners.

Later in John 7, even Nicodemus, who they entreat for their wicked cause against Christ, comes to His defense instead...
John 7:50–51 (ESV) Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

Notice how shrewd Nicodemus is here. He's one of the "rulers" of the Jews, he has a lot to lose in this equation should he side with Christ. But Nicodemus knows this Man is from God (see John 3)... so Nicodemus smartly keeps them from going after Him and implores them to listen and learn about Him first. 

Here's what I think, I think Nicodemus reasoned that if they would stop hating Him and listen for a moment, their hearts could change as well. But sadly, they never did take the time to listen to Him because He didn't fit their mold and He challenged their power. 

This is the hardness of men's hearts and why Jesus never entrusted Himself to people.  But if you want more faith, if you want more of God's power in your life, if you want to walk straighter and hate sin more and love God more, there's really only one thing to do...

LISTEN TO HIM & LEARN FROM HIM.

PRAYER:

Father thank You for these Words of life. Help me to continue hearing and learning from Jesus. Change my heart through the POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE Word of Christ. In His Name, Amen.