For several summers I was a salesperson for a Memphis Ace Hardware store. In some ways, the job was easy. We had a slow trickle of customers each day and at least two salespersons to handle their requests. Most days at Ace were slow. In other ways, however, the job was challenging. Why? It was challenging because I knew nothing about hardware. Imagine getting a job fixing computers and you don’t know anything about computers. That’s what it was like for me working at Ace. I was in graduate school studying theology at the time. My part-time ministry job as a campus ministry intern was put on pause each summer because most of the college students we worked with returned home for the summer. Thus, I needed a way to earn money in June and July. A friend at the graduate school worked at Ace and asked Ben, the owner, if he’d hire me for the summers. I met with Ben, told him that I didn’t know anything about hardware, but that I was honest and a hard worker. He hired me. For five days a week during two months each year, I spent 8 hours a day telling customers, “I don’t know. Let me go ask Ben.” They’d want to know which wasp spray was best. I didn’t know. So I’d go ask Ben. They’d want to know which rubber washer would fit their leaking faucet. I didn’t know. So I’d go ask Ben. And on days when Ben wasn’t available, I was useless. I depended completely on the ability to go to Ben and listen to his guidance in order to do my job. I couldn’t do my job if I couldn’t listen to Ben.
1L.2
Something similar happens in other areas of life. Students can’t do their school work if they don’t listen to instructors who teach them the material. Employees can’t navigate career challenges if they don’t listen to mentors who’ve been where they now are. Football players can’t win the game if they don’t listen to their coaches. In order to succeed in life, we often need to be able to listen to someone with greater wisdom and understanding than our own. Some of the most valuable and rewarding experiences come from listening to those who can guide us.
The question I want to explore in this three-part series is this: Is it is possible to have the same experience in our spiritual life? Obviously we can listen to spiritual counselors, spiritual mentors, and spiritual friends regarding the spiritual life. But is it possible to also listen to God himself? It is possible to live in such a way that we do with God what I was doing with Ben? We go to God and listen for the guidance we need in order to live our lives.
In her book When the Soul Listens, Jan Johnson lists 24 texts in which the Bible praises people for listening to God and condemns them for not listening to God.[1] At least 24 times we are invited to have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is doing and saying. For example, God scolds Israel in Is. 42:20 “He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.” Jesus repeatedly invited “If anyone has ears, let him hear.” The Bible is filled with this invitation to have ears to hear God and eyes to see God. But how does that work? How do we hear God? How do we listen to what God is saying? How do we see what God is doing?
In his book The Power of a Whisper Bill Hybels focuses on about 20 individuals in the Bible who heard God in a distinct way.[2] These include Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Joshua, Samuel, Job, Zechariah, Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Philip, Peter, and Paul. These were all individuals who heard directly from God and who listened to God. Is the same possible today?
Three chapters in John’s Gospel provide an opportunity to explore this question. John 8-10 deals with an incident and conversation that takes place in the temple courts in Jerusalem. From John 8:12 through John 10 we watch Jesus minister and then interact with people in and near the temple courts. Here’s a summary of what we find in these three chapters. In John 8 Jesus speaks about seeing what God is doing and hearing what God is saying. He speaks about the importance of eyes and ears in the spiritual life. Then in John 9 Jesus focuses on the eyes—the entire chapter is devoted to the importance of seeing what God is doing. Finally in John 10 Jesus targets the ears—much of the chapter is devoted to the importance of hearing what God is saying. John 8 is about eyes and ears. John 9 is about eyes. And John 10 is about ears. Together, the three chapters help us think about what it means to see what God is doing and see what God is saying. They provide a place for us to consider the possibility that God is still speaking today and still has a lot to say—if we’ll just listen.
The section begins in John 8:12 with Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem. The story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11 is placed out of chronological order. The storyline actually moves chronologically from the end of John 7 to John 8:12. At the end of John 7 we are told that Jesus is in the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles. During each night of this festival there was a stunning candle-lighting ceremony. Large candles in one of the temple courts were set ablaze. They produced a very bright light. One Jewish book called the Mishnah boasts that “there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect the light.”[3] That is, the light from these candles at the Feast of Tabernacles could be seen all over the city.
One of the things this light represented was the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites when they left Egypt and travelled to the Promised Land.[4] Through that light, that pillar of fire, God led Israel. Thus at the Feast of Tabernacles, the Jews lit these large candles and celebrated the way God led his people with light.
It was probably as these candles were being lit that Jesus spoke the words recorded in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus claims that just as God led his people through that fire which is commemorated by the candles at the Feast of Tabernacles, so he has come to lead his people. Jesus has come to illuminate our way. He has come to help us see. In the next verse, John 8:13, the Pharisees take issue with the claim. What follows is a lengthy interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees about seeing and hearing.
One issue that is raised in this interaction is Scripture. In John 8:13-18, the Pharisees tell Jesus that he is violating Scripture by testifying that he is the light. After all, they point out to Jesus, Scripture demands that a person’s testimony must be confirmed by a second person. And Jesus cannot produce a second person to corroborate his testimony that he is the light.
Then in John 9:16 the Pharisees again tell Jesus that he is violating Scripture. Jesus has just restored a blind man’s sight. But the day on which he’s done this is a Sabbath. And the Pharisees argue in John 9:16 that healing on the Sabbath is a violation of Scripture.
Jesus wants to talk about seeing what God is doing and hearing what God is saying. But the Pharisees keep bringing up Scripture. In fact, one of the things the Pharisees prided themselves in was the accuracy of their interpretation of Scripture.[5] Again and again, their critique of Jesus in the Gospels is based on their belief that Jesus has violated Scripture. The Pharisees were an intellectual group committed to the correct understanding of Scripture.[6] What set the Pharisees apart was their deep conviction that they knew what the Bible said.
But here’s the surprising revelation: in spite of their knowledge of Scripture the Pharisees did not see what God was doing in Jesus or hear what God was saying through Jesus. The Pharisees demonstrate that it is possible to know God’s Scriptures yet not hear God speaking. Listen to what the Pharisees do in John 8-10. In John 8, after hearing Jesus make his claim about being the light of the world, the Pharisees seek to kill him (Jn. 8:37), they accuse him of being possessed by a demon (Jn. 8:48), and they pick up stones to throw at him (Jn. 8:59). Then in John 9, after Jesus heals a man who was born blind, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of violating the Sabbath (Jn. 9:16), refuse to believe that the man he healed had actually been blind (Jn. 9:18), and threw the once blind man out of the synagogue (Jn. 9:34). Then in chapter 10, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being insane (Jn. 10:20). The Pharisees know the Bible yet they cannot see what God is doing through Jesus and they cannot hear what God is saying through Jesus. They demonstrate that it is possible to know God’s Scriptures yet not hear God speaking.
Jesus points this out in John 8:38-47: 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” 39They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (Jn. 8:38-47 ESV).
Jesus says that both he and the Pharisees are listening. Jesus is listening to God. The Pharisees are listening to the devil. Jesus says in vs. 38 “I’m doing what I’m doing because I’m watching my Father–God. You are doing what you are doing because you are listening to your father—the Devil.” They complain in vs. 39 that Abraham is their father. That is, Abraham is the Old Testament figure they strive to be like. But Jesus says in vs. 41 that they must be listening to the devil, because they are acting like the devil. Further, Jesus says in vs. 43, they are not even able to hear Jesus’ word. Though Jesus is standing in front of them, they don’t hear him. Finally, Jesus charges in vs. 47, that if they were truly of God, they would hear the words of God through Jesus. Jesus states that those who belong to God hear the words of God.
Jesus basically says here that no matter who you are, you are already listening to a higher power. Jesus seems to suggest that we are either listening to the devil or to God. Both God and the devil are actively communicating to us. And Jesus sates that those who belong to God hear the words of God. What characterizes the people of God is that they are constantly hearing the words of God. Whoever is of God hears the words of God.
Listening to God is how Jesus characterizes himself. In John 5:30 Jesus says, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge…” In John 8:26, Jesus says, “I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” And in John 8:40 Jesus says, “…but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.” Listening to God is how Jesus characterizes himself.
And it is how he characterizes his followers: Whoever is of God hears the words of God. You are either listening to the devil. Or you are listening to God. He fleshes this out even more in John 10. He speaks of himself as a shepherd and of us as sheep: “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers…And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” (Jn. 10:3-5, 16 ESV). The norm, Jesus says, is that the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice. The followers of Jesus hear the voice of Jesus. Listening is central to the Christian faith.
Jesus states that those who belong to God hear the words of God. Jesus envisions a way of life in which those who follow him hear from him. Jesus teaches a lifestyle in which those who belong to God listen to God.
How then do we do this? In this series we are exploring three ways to listen up—three ways to hear God and Jesus in our daily lives. This morning we take up the most obvious. It is the one way so glaringly missed by the Pharisees. One way to listen to God is through Scripture. Just because a person knows the words written by God doesn’t mean he is listening to God. The Pharisees demonstrate that it is possible to be biblically astute, yet spiritually deaf. However, it is possible for Scripture to be a conduit through which we hear a fresh and living voice from God today. The Bible is not merely the record of what God has said in the past. It is also the report of what God is saying in the present. When most of us open our Bible, we are asking the question “What did God say?” We assume that these pages are filled with the words God said thousands of years ago. But it is also possible to open the Bible and ask the question “What is God saying?” We can hear a fresh word from God each day through Scripture.
For more than 1,500 years, Christians have utilized a particular way of reading Scripture that allows them to hear God in the present. The practice is called lectio divina. Lectio Divina is one way to listen to God through Scripture.
This approach to Scripture goes all the way back to a man named Benedict.[7] In the 6th century, Benedict, disgusted with the sin he saw in the city of Rome, retreated to a village. And there he organized some spiritual communities which were built around three practices: prayer, work, and lectio divina. The purpose of lectio divina was to enable people to hear God’s word speaking to them in their current context.
Lectio Divina takes place in four stages: Read, Reflect, Respond, and Rest. First, you select a text and you read it. Choose a text that is not too long. Get into a comfortable position and maintain silence for several minutes. This prepares your heart to listen. Then read the text slowly. Savor each word. Read the text two or three times. You might read it out loud. The goal is to hear a word or phrase that speaks to you, or that catches your attention. As you slowly read, be sensitive for a word or a phrase that catches your attention. Once you have that word or phrase, move to next step.
The second step involves reflection. Slowly repeat the word or phrase that has caught your attention. Meditate on it. If you keep a journal, write the word or phrase there. And ask, “Why did this word or phrase catch my attention?” and “What is it about my life that needs to hear this word today?” You could journal your answers to those questions or just think about them. The goal is to identify why God has placed this word or phrase on your heart and what God may be asking you to do or be through it.
The third step is to respond through prayer. God has spoken to you through his word. Now it’s time for you to speak to him. If through that word or phrase God has convicted you of sin, respond with prayerful repentance. If through that word or phrase God has given you a new understanding about something, respond with prayerful gratitude.
Finally, rest. Just as you began with a few moments of silence, so now finish with a few moments of silence. Just rest in the grace of God.
Most week-day mornings I practice lectio divina on the texts I’m preaching from. A few weeks ago I was meditating on Lk. 3:1-14, the text I preached from last Sunday. What caught my attention that morning was that the word of God, absent for over 460 years, came to a man named John. It didn’t come to Tiberius Ceasar or Pontius Pilate. It didn’t even come to the religious professionals: Annas and Caiaphas. It came to a relative nobody named John. I started wondering why. Why did this word of God come to John and not to the others? Were the religious professionals not able to receive this word? And then I started wondering about myself—because I am a religious professional. I wondered what I could do to make sure I was more like John—someone who heard from God, and less like Annas and Caiaphas—men who got their paycheck from religion but don’t get a word from God. And I guess I heard God challenging me that morning. I heard something like this: “Chris, make sure you keep your heart and mind in a place where my word can find you. Don’t assume that just because you are a religious professional, you’ll hear my word.” Through lectio divina I listened to God speak to me. The same can happen for you.
Priscilla Shirer writes about the time she was fresh out of college and had landed a job hosting a live televised show on CBS.[8] She had never hosted a live show before and was a nervous wreck. What if she lost her train of thought? What if she forgot what she was supposed to do next? Seeing her apprehension, the producer walked over to Shirer and handed her a small device that fit in her ear. The producer explained that this equipment was known as “the ear” and would allow Shirer to hear the producer at all times. At any time during the live program, the producer would be able to direct and guide Shirer. Something similar can happen every day between you and God. It is possible to hear “live” from God. Scripture can be like that small electronic device. Through it God can whisper guidance, direction, encouragement, and inspiration.
So Listen up. God is speaking. Let’s have the ears to hear.
[1] Jan Johnson When the Soul Listens (NavPress, 1999), 52 (Deut. 29:4; Ps. 115:6; 135:17; Prov. 20:12; Is. 6:10; 30:21; 32:3; 42:20; Jer. 5:21; 6:10; 9:20; Ez. 12:2; 40:4; Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 15-16, 43; Mk. 4:9, 23; 8:18; Lk. 8:8; 14:35; Acts 28:27; Rom. 11:8)
[2] Bill Hybels The Power of a Whisper (Zondervan, 2010), Kindle Edition.
[3] Kruse, C. G. (2003). Vol. 4: John: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (200–201). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[4] Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary Volume One (Hendrickson, 2003), 739.
[5] Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (914–915). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
[6] Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (1027). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
[7] Tony Jones The Sacred Way, (Zondervan, 2005), 48.
[8] Priscilla Shirer Discerning the Voice of God (Moody, 2007), 19-20.
