Matthew 11:12-15 (ESV)
[12] From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom
of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
[13] For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, [14] and
if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. [15] He
who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Referring to John the Baptist, Jesus began this section of scripture
by asking the crowds, “Who did you go out into the wilderness to see?” He
affirms the greatness of John, but then says that those least in the Kingdom
are even greater. That brings us to the verses quoted above. The Kingdom has
suffered violence. John was Elijah. Jesus’ point is that even though the Jews
had all the Old Testament prophets concluding with John, they missed the point.
They were trying to enter the Kingdom by their own power. They were redefining
the Old Testament messages to fit their desires and expectations. Jesus leaves
them with a challenge. “If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah . . . he
who has ears to hear, let him hear.” In that statement lies a challenge for all
of us. Will we hear?
Are we so committed to our expectations and desires that we cannot hear God
when he speaks? Are we open to hearing him even when his message is different
than we have always thought, or contrary to what makes sense to us? Jesus is
not going to force us to hear. He is willing to allow people to remain in their
ignorance if they are unwilling to hear. How often have we missed hearing God
because we were so sure of what he would say before he even spoke? Perhaps one
of the greatest deficiencies in the church today is that we have forgotten how
to listen. We speak. We shout. We attack. We challenge. We pray. But do we listen.
May we learn to listen to the Word and the Spirit even when they speak that
which is different from our expectations.
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