2411AFC031524 – Why didn’t we listen? ← 😊 PODCAST LINK
The Road to Jerusalem Series #5
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Jeremiah 31:32-32 – 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.
Psalm 51:12-13 –
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Hebrews 5:8-10 – 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
John 12:25-28, 31-33 – 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
Jesus Speaks about His Death
27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
[Jesus replied …] 31 “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea!
Today we will be examining how well we have listened to those who have authority over us. We will look at a very specific question which all of us have heard – perhaps from our parents, or a teacher, or a judge, or anyone who is trying to speak to us. The question is, “Are you even listening to me?!?!” As I sit here staring at my keyboard wondering what I should write next, I am receiving this answer: “Do whatever he tells you.” (↔ Learning Link) Well, Belovéd, what he is telling me is “LET ME DO THE TALKING.” Consequently, most of what will be included here is Scripture – or sometimes a link to Scripture that we should follow, but which is not transcribed to this study. There is a very good reason for this study which was presented by The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans when he was teaching that all who call upon the name of the Lord can be heard.
Romans 10:13-17 – 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” [See Joel 2:32] 14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” [See Isaiah 53:1] 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through 
the word of Christ. (My underlining). We see those words, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord,” and remember “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (See Matthew 7:21-23) How, then, are we to “do whatever he tells you?” That’s a simple question which deserves a simple answer: Listen. And where is the best place to listen to what the Lord is telling us? For starters, the Bible. Second would be in the words our Pastors direct to us in Church. Third would be a trustworthy source of information based on Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium – Catholic Answers is one such source, but the best Source is a “full-circle option:” Put your trust in the Holy Spirit to lead you to the appropriate information.
Usually when we are “out of sorts” with the Lord, it is because we have followed in the path of our ancestors and failed to live up to our part in the Covenant Relationships. We must always remember that a covenant is a relationship, and if we fail in any part of the requirements of that relationship, we have done like Israel; they broke the covenant even though God had cared for them as a husband should faithfully care for his wife. The Prophet Jeremiah tells us It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. The New Covenant is the Blood of Christ which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (See Matthew 26:27-28) We must recall that the Greek word pollōn used for “many” here means multitudinous e.g., high in number; see for example Matthew 4:25 and Mark 5:24. Other terms we might recognize are countless, innumerable, myriad, and immeasurable.
Now, we must look at that information and ask if we believe that Christ shed his blood on the cross for countless myriads and multitudes. Checkmark that! And we remember (↔ Music Link) and believe “as it is written, so let it be done.” That’s how it’s supposed to work, but if we look at the Psalm Key Verse for today, we can see how it sometimes happens with us. We listen to what the Lord requires and we tell him, Yes, Lord, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” Then we truncate the message where it says “and sustain in me a willing spirit.” It’s not that we don’t believe God can or will do that; it’s more that we are often not too keen on being willing to be obedient enough to avoid correction. We often confuse correction with punishment. To understand that better, we want to look at what The Apostle Paul has to say about Jesus’ obedience.
Hebrews 5:8-10 – 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Given the option, we’d rather not learn obedience through suffering. That is a worthwhile 
and doable goal, but in order to achieve that goal the primary objective is to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. (See Micah 6:8 – again 😊) The principal requirement for that is to know what God wants, and the best way to know what he wants is to listen to what he tells us. It seem to me that statement sounds a bit simplistic. Odds are that if you’re reading this, you know that already. So do I; but sometimes we forget (← Previously mentioned ad. inf.) You may have already heard of a “movement” called Intentional Discipleship. [1]
One of the most important things we can learn there is the importance of our relationship with Jesus and with his adelphos – his sisters and brothers in the Lord. And again, we come back to Jesus’ promise that we will learn what he learned in the manner he learned it – we will learn by suffering because, as our Lord said, Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.” Last week we answered “Where do we go?” The answer was “Calvary.” Jesus repeatedly told his Disciples he was going to die, how he would die, by whom he would die, for whom he would die, and what would happen after he died. None of them 
understood it until after his Ascension, and even then “some doubted.” (See Matthew 28:17) They had seen, they had heard, they had experienced and participated in miracles directly, and yet some doubted. Why didn’t they listen? We might also ask, “Why didn’t they believe?” Jesus commands us to listen. It is a challenge to our faith. Read about it here: Matthew 11:15, Mark 7:16, Mark 8:18, Luke 14:35 – each saying “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22, 13:9 ← This is a fascinating collection. I encourage you to read the notes in the NABRE which is in the center column. Even in the Old Testament we read that God’s people broke their covenant again and again, yet God still called to them to return. We have an example of their response to his call in Zechariah 7:11 – 11 But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear.
Many (yep, multitudes) turned away and refused to listen. We have a nice summary of Jesus teaching at the end of Chapter 12 in the Gospel of John:
John 12:44-50 – 44 Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the 
darkness. 47 I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. [YOLO-F] What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.” WE know this, and still, sometimes, we forget to listen. When that Day of Reward comes and on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, and we will perhaps ask, “Why didn’t we listen?”
Why indeed? Perhaps it would be best if we followed the command of Our Father in Heaven as recorded in Matthew 17:5 – This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” Again we must ask, who would want anything less, and why? We will have some answers to that next week when we ask, “Who has done this?”
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
[1] For a guide to forming Intentional Disciples see this article (↔ Click Link) about forming Intentional Disciples. Also, look for information on Sherry A Weddell (Author) – Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus
