Have you ever wondered why some of the most profound questions in life often go unanswered?
Questions like “Why am I here?” or “What happens after I die?”
These aren’t just philosophical word games. The questions and their answers will shape our entire existence, impacting how we live today and where we will spend eternity.
Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus addressed those very questions.
He gave very clear teachings about how we should live now, and also what will happen after we have, as Shakespeare said, “shuffled off this mortal coil.”1
Jesus and the Religious Leaders
Jesus came to earth about 2,000 years ago and taught what God had to say about these topics, answering many important questions.
But some of the religious leaders of his day did not like what Jesus taught, and they continually challenged him.
He confronted those religious “experts” and accused them of being “slaves to sin.” (John 8:44)
As you can imagine they were furious at his rebuke.
But Jesus didn’t stop there. He also pointed out:
“… you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
John 8:37-38 (ESV)
They weren’t bothered so much by his charge that they were trying to kill him, probably because they were trying to kill him, but they were very annoyed by his claim that his Father was the One True God, implying that their father was something or someone else.
Then Jesus asked them:
Why do you not understand what I say?
John 8:43 (ESV)
They should have at least understood what he was talking about. They heard him speak. They saw him perform miracles. They had the Scriptures that told of the Messiah.
Yes, they should have understood, but they didn’t, and Jesus told them the reason.
… It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
John 8:43 (ESV)
Had Jesus left it at that, they would have been angry, but Jesus went on and explained why they couldn’t “bear to hear” his word.
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 does not stand in 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. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
John 8:44-45 (ESV)
That interaction between Jesus and the leaders of his time have lessons for us today.
Today
The teachings in the Bible are very clear about so many issues in our culture today, but just as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day rejected what Jesus taught because they could not “bear to hear Jesus’ words,” many people today likewise reject Biblical truths.
Which brings up the question we all need to answer.
Do we want to hear the truth?
Jesus said, “… light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” John 3:19 (ESV)
Do we really want to hear what Jesus has to say?
I pray you would choose to listen to Jesus’ words.
Before I go, I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.
“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)
Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today
From Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The quote is part of Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy.
Why do you not understand?