Listening to Jesus Teach

I have been listening to the gospel according to Matthew on CD (from the Today's NIV version of the audio bible), in the car on the way to work and most days on the way home too. I am really getting into it. It is for me like sitting and letting Jesus preach to me.

Jesus' teaching has always been so difficult for me. He is so deep, trying to explain to us depths of truth about God, about us, and about the Kingdom of God. He speaks with a completely infinite and eternal perspective. It has always blown me away that people think His teaching is simple to grasp and understand.

But this time it has been such an intoxicating and refreshing drink for me.

Wed the CD got to the end of Matthew 16, then looped back to Matthew 1 before I got home from work. I was so disappointed that I didn't have the second CD I actually said, "Oh NO!" out loud with alarm and disappointment.

Just to be clear I still hold firm to the opinion that Jesus teaching is extremely deep and hard to understand, but for the first time I am not so bothered by it. It is not making me feel stupid or less-than. It has been my joy this week to "walk with Him" and be Taught by the Son of God. So many things He made very clear, and even those who truly walked at His physical side did not understand them. I am in good company. His teaching are so full.

It seem to me that the reason His teaching is so full is because there was so much He wanted us to know, understand, and accept, and then move in faith and love by those revealed truths. It seems to me an expression of His love to attempt to get us to understand the depths and truths of it all. Even when He is "yelling and fussing" at the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, He was trying so hard to gather them to Himself, to get their attention and bring them to repentance. Sadly most would not respond. It highlights the deep levels of rebellion in each of us. And how religious habits can sometimes make us feel "saved" enough or "good" enough and we turn away from greater Truths that which would overcome sin and death in us.

Oh that we would we would always be willing to listen and understand the things of God, not rejecting the teaching of our Spiritual Forefathers, not rejecting what we already know but keep listening, keep seeking, keep learnering, always searching to know and understand even what we already know what we have already been taught with freshness and Truth, and lett that Truth into the depths of ourselves, letting this Truth, this Word, have it's way in us, letting it be the light that shows us sadly who we are in our sin, AND the Hope and Glory that (for those of us who have truly accepted Christ Jesus as our Lord as well as our Savior), ... that Hope and Glory that dwells in these frail "jars of clay"... the Power of Love that overcame the grave and our sinful nature.

What kind of Love is that?!?!?! He hated our sin so very much... He hates us as sinners (when in our rebellion we remain sinners)... AND YET His Love is BIGGER, STRONGER, and He himself went to great measures not just to satisfy His Justice and pay a price for our sin and OVERCOME sin and death with VICTORY and POWER, but to do it in such a way that we would see it, and hear it, so that we would really know, that it is for us. He Loves us SO MUCH. He wants us near to Him in close Love Relationship. He crossed eternity into the finite, left Glory and Heaven into a dying world to be subject to us. He became our servant . And we, those He came to serve and teach, for the most part still rejected Him and are for the most part still rejecting Him. He took the rightfull punishment for sin (a sinless sacrifical death) then rose to LIFE. He did this all in front of so many witnesses for all the world to see. All this so that we could have life and be His sons and daughters. That is a Fathers love that can not be compared. It shows us a Father that longs to great depths for relationship, for children that would CHOOSE to surrender our rebellion, and embrase His Love, and in return Love him back, being a Child of God who looks and acts like their Good Father, and brings Him pleasure.

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

This week has been about being a follower of the WORD. ( I almost said disciple of Jesus, but I am not certain I yet qualify - by His defined conditions - but a follower, a listener, ... that I am... and I am not turning back... for where would I go, these are the words of eternal life... This is the Son of God, my Savior, my God... where else can I go???)