Blessed are those who hear...and do

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HEAR…

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it” Jesus is not big on lip-service…he wants us to actually obey God’s Word. And today these 28 verses seem to really cover a wide range of topics.

But with a little work, we can break it down into two broad pieces. The first is about praying. We read Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer (most of us know Matthew’s). It starts by focusing us not on our needs, but on God’s kingdom. It moves to our needs, and lest we be concerned God does not hear our prayers, Jesus offers a parable. Some read this parable and think it is saying God only answers prayer if you persist. Well persistence is good, but the point is not that He won’t answer unless you persist…but more if a human would answer, then certainly God would…and this is followed with “ask, knock, seek” to make this point.

Then we have two mini-parables (or sayings) regards how God will answer our prayers. Perhaps the most striking point, and we can miss it, is that statement Jesus makes about the Holy Spirit. God will give it to those who ask!

I suggest to read through the text, thinking a bit about prayer, and then at the end I have some comments about the second half.

11 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ² And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
³ Give us each day our daily bread,
⁴ and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

⁵ And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ⁹ And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for^[d] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

¹⁴ Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”¹⁶ while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.¹⁷ But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. ¹⁸ And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; ²² but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. ²³ Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

²⁴ “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

²⁷ As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” ²⁸ But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Beelzebul and demons being cast out…well that certainly gets our attention. Beelzebul is a name for the devil. And so here is Jesus freeing someone from demonic possession and people actually turn on him and accuse Jesus of being from the devil.

Jesus of course points out how this is not logical with his comments about a divided house. But then he presses the point as he speaks of a strong man being overcome by a stronger man…so he has just cast out a demon…who is stronger? Answer Jesus. But then he says you are either with me, or against me…OK, but…but it gets even more serious. He notes that if the devil is cast out, and you do not then become part of God’s kingdom, then the devil will return…you see you cannot be neutral…as Jesus said, you are either with him or against him.

What appeared a bit cryptic is actually fairly logically…which is why a woman cries out that the womb that bore him is blessed…people have been saying he is from the devil and he has responded and someone agrees…and yet Jesus, now vindicated by at least one person takes no credit, but rather encourages everyone to keep God’s Word…which means we go right back to the beginning and pray.