Truly Following Jesus Series

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Jesus is not simply lickling itching ears. He is teaching the Word of God so that we might hear, learn, understand and live.

You see, no matter where we are in this - sick in need of healing, slandering in need of a wake up call, skeptical in need of truth, or part of the swarm in need of depth - there is hope. In the final verses Jesus points out that…

The truly saved hear, believe, obey, and shine.

I think this is where there is truly hope for all of us. Our emotional instability, cynical criticism, waywardness all can be addressed when we come faith genuinely - when we are truly saved. True salvation begins with a genuine assessment of where we are. To this, Jesus addresses his current generation and the sign-seeking of the skeptics.

Luke 11:29–32 ESV

When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Jesus is likely talking to a mostly Jewish audience and He calls them out as evil because they want signs rather than listening to the truth of who Jesus is and why He came.

Earlier in the service, we read a bit from the book of Jonah. There, this reluctant Jewish prophet was called to go to the wicked people of Ninevah and proclaim a message of destruction unless they repent. On hearing the word of the prophet, these gentiles repented and God relented from His judgment. (teenagers, we are going to look at the book of Jonah this week and next - doing a bit of a deep dive - considering some of the cultural things that we overlook and those implications - if you’d like to join me)

Similarly, Jesus referenced another gentile, the Queen of Sheba or Queen of the South, who had heard rumors of Solomon’s wisdom. When she came to learn more, she was amazed at Solomon but also recognized that his wisdom was from Yahweh.

1 Kings 10:1–9 ESV

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.