Listen and Hear

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
Luke 9:43b–45
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Listen and Hear
We don’t always believe what we hear these days. With so many voices competing for our attention, it can often be hard to know who is telling the truth and who is simply telling us what we want to hear. The disciples suffered from this same problem. For so long, those around them had one vision of the Messiah, that of a conquering war king who would defeat the temporal Roman authorities. Yet the truth was so much more and not what they had expected. In these verses, Jesus once more predicts His suffering and death, and once again, the disciples fail to understand Him. Blinded by our own misplaced priorities, we may likewise fail to discern God’s ways and plans for our lives. But, nonetheless, Jesus remains with us every step of the way. He guides us in His path so that we may be safely brought to the still waters and green pastures of His loving care. With Christ as our guide, we cannot be lost. We follow His light which leads to His cross and His victory over sin, death, and the devil. And that truth is something worth listening to and understanding.