Thursday, April 20
More than nice sentiments
Scripture: Luke 11
Luke 11:27–28 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!”28 But he replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
Observation
This unknown woman was paying a compliment both to Jesus and His mother. One commentator pointed out “this was a good sentiment (‘Jesus is a wonderful person’) expressed as only a woman would express it (‘How blessed to be his mother’)…this gave Jesus the opportunity to say that true blessedness does indeed consist in relationship to him, though not the mother-son relationship.” Instead, true blessedness comes from those who hear and do the word of God—specifically, the message of Jesus.
“Hear and do” is one of Jesus’ themes (see also Luke 6:47-49, 8:15, 21) and is repeated in James 1:22-25.
This is why one of my simple definitions of a disciple is “one who listens to Jesus and does what He says.”
In this short story, Jesus transforms nice sentiments into action, into obedience. Being a disciple is more than nice sentiments—it’s hearing and doing what Jesus says.
Application
It is possible for people to mistake nice sentiments for commitment. Many would-be disciples express nice sentiments toward Jesus, but fail to do what He says. We wear a cross, but fail to take up our cross. We sing a love song to Jesus, but refuse to love our neighbor. We buy religious trinkets, but ignore the poor. We display scripture on our walls but don’t do what it says. Lots of nice sentiments, not a lot of obedience. Yet Jesus made it clear that the blessing of God doesn’t rest just on nice sentiments, but on actual obedience.
Hear and do.
That’s the blessed life.
Prayer: Lord I love You. I can be as guilty as anyone of being sentimental without being obedient. So forgive me, and help me to be a true disciple, one who listens to Jesus and does what He says.
More: Judges 5-6, 1 Corinthians 7