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Listen to Me | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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You are listening to Reformed thinking.
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Welcome to the deep dive. Hey there, welcome along to the
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deep dive. This is where we take source
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material, dig into it, and try to pull out the clear, useful
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knowledge for you. That's the goal.
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And today our mission is really to unpack a pretty central idea
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from the Christian faith, this call, this command, actually to
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listen to Jesus. We've got a really interesting
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set of notes here, mainly drawing from John Piper's All
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That Jesus Commanded, specifically a section called
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Listen to Me and some other materials that kind of flush
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that out. Yeah, it's good stuff.
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We'll be looking at. You know why listening to Jesus
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is presented as such a core Christian practice?
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What is it about his words that makes them stand out?
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And also touching on why some people, well, seem to find it
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hard to truly hear what he's saying.
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It's a fascinating topic. It really is, and we're here to
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try and help you get the essential insights, sort of
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distill it down. Exactly.
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So if you're ready to get a clearview on what it means to,
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well, truly hear Jesus, let's unpack this.
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That's it. OK, so to kick things off, the
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material we're drawing from makes it absolutely clear
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Listening to Jesus isn't just, you know, a good idea or a
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suggestion. It's framed as a direct command,
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repeatedly. It's something you can't just
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sidestep. Jesus himself often called
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people to him saying, hear me, all of you, and understand.
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That's from Mark 7. Right.
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And understand that's key, isn't it?
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It's not just passive hearing. No, it's deeper.
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It's active comprehension, engaging your mind, your heart,
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the whole person. And like you said, it wasn't a
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one off. He often finished his teachings
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with that specific phrase. He who has ears to hear, let him
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hear. We see that all over.
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Luke 8 is one example, and it feels like more than an
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invitation. Sort of implies, doesn't it,
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That some people might have ears, physically speaking, but
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still completely missed the real message.
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Exactly like there's another kind of hearing required.
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A spiritual perception, maybe? That's how it seems.
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It goes beyond just the acoustics.
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And later in that same chapter, Luke 8, he actually warns
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people. Take care of then how you hear.
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OK, so the way we listen matters.
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Immensely, it seems, the quality of our listening, the posture we
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take. It's not just if we hear, but
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how that's crucial. It really feels like a
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challenge, you know, like he's saying, sure you're hearing the
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sounds, but are you really listening?
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Are you letting it sink in? Precisely.
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And it's not just Jesus saying this about himself.
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The sources also highlight that moment during the
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Transfiguration. Really powerful scene.
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Oh. Yeah, Matthew 17 with Peter,
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James and John. That's the one.
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And a voice from heaven, from the cloud, declares, This is my
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beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.
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Listen to him. Wow.
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So God the Father Himself steps in.
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Directly, yeah, a divine command.
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It gives this unique weight, doesn't it, to Jesus's words.
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It's like the highest authority possible saying pay attention,
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this is the one to listen to. That certainly makes the act of
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listening feel incredibly significant.
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Like ultimate gravity it. Does It's a cosmic endorsement,
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you could say. And to really get a handle on
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what this looks like in practice, sources point us to a
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story we all know, but maybe don't always connect this way.
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Mary and Martha. Luke 10, right?
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Yeah. The scene is painted so clearly.
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Martha welcomes Jesus into her home.
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Now you got to think about the cultural pressure there.
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Hospitality was huge. Oh absolutely.
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Especially for a respected teacher like Jesus, she'd feel
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the weight of that. Definitely.
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So Naturally, the text says, she became distracted by much
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serving, bustling around, getting things ready, probably
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thinking she's doing the right thing, the necessary thing.
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You can almost feel her stress, can't you?
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Doing what anyone would see is good, honorable work, showing
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respect. For sure.
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But then there's her sister Mary, and she takes a completely
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different approach. Right.
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She's not in the kitchen, no. She sat at the Lord's feet and
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listened to his teaching, just sat there listening.
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Which immediately sets up this tension, doesn't it?
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Two sisters, both wanting to honor Jesus, presumably, but in
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totally different ways. Exactly.
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And Martha, understandably, maybe gets frustrated.
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Her frustration builds and she actually goes to Jesus.
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Yeah, she complaints, basically asks him.
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Don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work
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alone? And honestly, from a purely
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human viewpoint, you can see her point, right?
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She's doing all the heavy lifting.
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Totally justifiable, you might think, but Jesus's response is
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well, it's really something. It's pivotal, he says, gently
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but clearly. Martha, Martha, you are anxious
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and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.
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One thing. One thing Mary has chosen the
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good portion which will not be taken away from.
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Her the good portion so listening to his teaching.
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That's presented as the good portion, the singular crucial
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activity. It takes priority even over
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seemingly helpful necessary tasks like serving.
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It's not saying serving is bad, is.
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It No, not at all. The sources are clear on that.
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Diligent activity has its place, of course, but the point here
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seems to be that it shouldn't over shadow or replace the act
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of receiving instruction directly from Jesus.
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So it sets the tone for the kind of attention we should give him.
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A deliberate choice. A.
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Deliberate choice to prioritize hearing His word over other
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things. Clamoring for our attention.
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This example really helps us grasp the depths of this
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instruction. It's about a fundamental
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orientation of the heart, not just something you do now and
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then discerning what truly matters most.
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OK, so listening is central. It's prioritized.
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But why? What gives Jesus's words this
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unique standing? Why listen to him above everyone
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else? That's the next big question,
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isn't it? And the materials we're looking
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at offer several compelling reasons.
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It's not just about him being wise or insightful, right?
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Think about that incident, John 7.
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The Pharisees were getting worried about Jesus's influence,
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saw him as a threat, so they sent temple officers to arrest
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him. OK.
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A direct conference plant. Exactly.
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But what happens? The officers come back empty
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handed. And not because Jesus fought
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them off or escaped. No, nothing like that, the text
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says. They were essentially stopped in
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their tracks, disarmed by his teaching.
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By his words. By his words, imagine that these
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are guards, probably tough guys sent to arrest someone.
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They likely expected trouble. Instead, they just stand there,
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captivated. That's incredible.
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And they go back to the chief priests and Pharisees and say no
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one ever spoke like this man. Wow.
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It reveals something utterly unique, doesn't it?
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A quality in his speech that just stomped them.
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It wasn't typical human speech. Not just clever rhetoric.
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He had this arresting force. An arresting force is a good way
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to put it. His words literally stopped an
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arrest. So where did this quality come
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from? Well, the sources dig right into
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that. They affirm that Jesus speaks
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the very words of God himself. OK, remember the Sermon on the
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Mount At the end? Matthew 7 tells us the crowds
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were astonished at his teaching. Why?
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For he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as
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their scribes. Right, the scribes usually
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quoted other rabbis appeal to. Tradition.
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Exactly. They built on past
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interpretations. But Jesus, he spoke with his
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inherent authority. It wasn't borrowed, it was his
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own. And he explained where that
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authority came from, didn't he? He did very clearly in John 12,
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he says. I have not spoken on my own
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authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a
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commandment what to say and what to speak.
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So his words came directly from the Father.
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That's what he claims. He repeats it too later in John
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12. What I say, therefore I say, as
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the Father has told me. And John 14 the word that you
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hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.
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The core insight, then, is when Jesus speaks, God speaks.
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That's it. His words aren't just human
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wisdom, however profound. They are divinely ordained
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utterances. They carry the full backing of
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God Himself. Which gives them a weight, a
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significance that no other human words could possibly have.
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We're not just listening to a wise teacher, we're hearing
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divine utterance. Precisely.
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And that leads to another really fascinating dimension the
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sources highlight. This authority wasn't just about
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truth claims. It actually extended into
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action, tangible action. His words affected physical and
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spiritual reality directly. The materials point out how his
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word silence supernatural powers.
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The demonic encounters. Right Mark chapter 1.
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Jesus meets a man possessed by a demon.
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He doesn't engage in some long ritual, he just rebukes the
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spirit. Be silent and come out of him.
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And it obeys. Instantly the demon obeys,
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throws the man into convulsions and leaves, and the crowd is
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just floored. They say He commands even the
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unclean spirits, and they obey him.
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Direct control through speech. Immediate, undeniable control.
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And it wasn't just limited to the spiritual realm.
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His Word impacted the physical world just as directly.
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The healings. The healings.
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Matthew 8. His word heals leprosy.
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Mark 7. It restores hearing to the deaf.
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Matthew 9. Sight to the blind just by
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speaking. Imagine witnessing that a word
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spoken and someone's physical reality changes right before
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your eyes. It's.
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Staggering. But maybe the most striking
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examples are the times he raised the dead with just a word.
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Three times, the sources mentioned.
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Three times. Mark 5 to Jairus's daughter,
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little girl, I say to you, arise.
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Luke 7 To the widow's son, young man, I say to you, arise.
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John 11 to Lazarus. Lazarus come out.
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And they just. Got up.
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They got up. Lazarus had been dead 4 days.
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These accounts really drive home the point.
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Jesus's words aren't just ideas to think about, They're active
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forces. They reshape reality.
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So they carry this unmediated divine power.
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They're not just things to consider, they do things.
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They have inherent active qualities.
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They bring about real, tangible change, which is just
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astounding. OK, Astounding authority.
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Reality shaping power. But the sources push even
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further. They connect his words directly
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to life, specifically eternal life.
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Yes, this is where it gets incredibly personal for us,
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doesn't it? Jesus has the words of eternal
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life. That famous confession from
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Peter John, chapter 6. Exactly.
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A really crucial moment. Jesus had just taught some
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things that were hard to swallow.
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Really hard. Yeah, the text says many
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disciples just turned back, stopped following.
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Him they did. So Jesus turns to the core
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group, the 12, and asks basically, are you leaving too?
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And Peter? Peter's response is immediate.
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It cuts right through the doubt. Lord, to whom shall we go?
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You have the words of eternal life.
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He recognized something unique in Jesus's words.
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He did. It wasn't just wishful thinking,
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it was an insight and Jesus confirms it himself.
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In that same chapter, John six, he says it is the Spirit who
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gives life. The flesh is of no avail.
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The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
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His words are spirit and life. That's what he says, which means
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his words are the indispensable means to getting eternal life.
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Yes, he could sustain physical life.
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We saw that. But the real treasure in his
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words is their ability to lead to eternal life, life beyond
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death. That gives them ultimate value.
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Then listening becomes a matter of, well, our ultimate destiny.
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Absolutely. It puts them right at the center
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of everything. So if his words are spirit and
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life, how exactly do they lead to this eternal life?
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What's the mechanism? The sources explain that Jesus's
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words awaken faith. That's the key link.
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The path to belief and therefore salvation, the material
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emphasizes, comes by hearing the word of God through Jesus.
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Hearing comes first. Hearing comes first.
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The sequence is laid out very clearly.
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First comes hearing word of Jesus.
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Then comes belief in Jesus. Then comes eternal life.
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Simple progression here. Believe live.
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Right. And the implication is stark.
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If the word is somehow removed or ignored, belief won't happen.
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And without belief, no salvation.
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It establishes this fundamental chain reaction.
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Hearing is the trigger. It seems to be, and the parable
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of the Sower really illustrates this, doesn't it?
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Luke 8. Matthew 13.
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The seed is the word the. Seed is the Word, and Jesus
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explains that for some people, the devil comes and snatches the
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word away from their hearts so that they may not believe and be
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saved. Wow, so the word being removed
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prevents belief and salvation? That's the dynamic Jesus
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describes. It shows that his words aren't
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just data points or interesting ideas.
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They are the actual catalyst for belief.
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How do they do that? They paint a picture.
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They reveal who He really is and what He does to obtain eternal
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life for us. It's through hearing His word
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that people start to see the glory of Jesus and the all
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sufficiency of His work. So the words themselves show us
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who he is and what he's done, and that generates trust.
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That's the idea. It compels belief, compels trust
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in Him. So hearing his words isn't just
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passive reception, it's the necessary first step in the
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whole process leading to eternal life.
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It's a spiritual awakening really started by the Word
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itself. OK, this is making sense.
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His words have divine authority, they have creative power,
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they're spirit in life, and they awaken faith leading to
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eternity. So why doesn't everyone who
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hears them immediately believe? Yes, the crucial question if
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these words are so powerful and life giving, why they're
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resistance? Why don't all hearers become
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believers? The sources tackle this head on
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right? Jesus himself did.
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He did. He confronted his opponents
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directly. John Chapter 8.
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He tells them. You seek to kill me because my
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word finds no place in you. Finds no place in you.
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That's a telling phrase. It really is.
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The sources explain it like this.
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Their mind, minds and hearts were already shaped or stuffed
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in such a way that when he speaks, what he says won't fit
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in their hearts. Like there's no room for it or
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it doesn't match the existing framework.
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Something like that. Almost like the container is the
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wrong shape or it's already full of other things.
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Pilot's question is a good example.
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Maybe. What is the truth?
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Yeah. And John 18.
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That wasn't likely a genuine inquiry.
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It sounds more like cynicism, dismissal, a lack of space or
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interest in whatever truth Jesus represented.
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So it points to this inherent unreceptiveness.
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It's not just disagreement, it's like the heart itself is closed
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off. That's the picture painted.
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Yeah. A spiritual disposition that
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makes genuine hearing impossible.
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It's deeper than just intellectual argument.
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A disposition that's a sobering idea, and the sources develop
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this further, talking about people not being of the truth or
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of God. Yes, Jesus says in John 18.
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Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.
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Implying you need some kind of pre-existing alignment with
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truth to even be able to listen. It suggests that, doesn't it, a
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spiritual affinity that enables hearing.
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And then even more directly in John 8, whoever is of God hears
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the words of God. The reason why you do not hear
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them is that you are not of God. Wow, that's blunt.
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It is the notes call it a sobering revelation.
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It sets up this stark contrast. Those spiritually aligned with
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God can hear. Those who aren't can't.
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So not hearing becomes an indicator of your fundamental
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spiritual state. It highlights this fundamental
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inability to accept divine truth unless there's a spiritual
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readiness, which brings us right into a core theological point,
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especially within Reformed thinking.
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The condition of humanity. It's exactly the condition of
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humanity after the fall and the absolute necessity of God's
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intervention. The sources describe humanity
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not as neutral observers, but as being heavily tilted towards
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selfishness and all the errors that support it.
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So we're not starting from a level playing field.
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Not according to this view. This inherent tilt, this bias
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away from God and towards self, actually unfits us for hearing
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the truth, especially as it comes from Jesus.
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So our natural state works against hearing him.
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It's not just intellectual difficulty, it's a heart.
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Problem. That's the argument.
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A deeper spiritual inclination that actively blocks true
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hearing and acceptance. The heart left to itself
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struggles to receive His message.
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OK, if our hearts are naturally biased against hearing God, how
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does anyone ever truly hear Him? And that's the critical point.
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It requires a divine act. God has to intervene.
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It's not something we can just decide to do on our.
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Own not according to these sources.
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Jesus himself points to this in his prayer in Luke 10.
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He thanks the Father, saying I thank you, Father, Lord of
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heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the
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wise and understanding standing and revealed them to little
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children. Yes, Father, for such was your
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gracious will. Revealed them, so God does the
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revealing. God does the revealing.
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The sources stated plainly this seeing is the work of God, and
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they go on. Unless God acts to give us ears
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to hear and eyes to see, there will be no place in us for the
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words of Jesus. That's huge.
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The ability to truly hear is a gift.
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It's presented as a divine blessing, a result of God's
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grace. God Himself has to create that
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place for the truth in our hearts.
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He has to grant the spiritual perception needed.
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So true listening isn't ultimately a human achievement,
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but a divine work within us. That's the pivotal understanding
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here. It underscores that a receptive
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heart is a gift from God. OK, so if God does this work, if
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He gives us ears to hear, what does that true listening
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actually look like? How do we recognize someone who
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has received this gift? Well, Jesus gives us a clear
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picture. He uses the analogy of a
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shepherd and sheep in John 10. He says my sheep hear my voice,
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and I know them, and they follow me.
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My sheep hear my voice, so hearing his voice is a mark of
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belonging to him. It's presented as a key
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identifier. It illustrates this personal
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intimate relationship. Those who truly listen are his
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followers recognize precisely because they have these
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receptive hearts. They have that truth shaped
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place for His word. They welcome what He says.
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It's not just hearing sounds, it's recognizing the speaker.
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Recognizing the speaker, acknowledging his authority, and
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responding, the hearing is linked directly to being known
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by him and then to following him.
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It points to an active, living faith born out of that divinely
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given ability to hear. And for a practical picture of
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this, the sources keep bringing us back to Mary, don't they?
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They do. Back to Luke 10, Mary, who sat
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at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.
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She chose that good portion. It wasn't passive, it was a
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deliberate posture. Absolutely.
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It demonstrates prioritizing, listening.
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It shows humility, a desire to receive directly from Jesus.
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It's about wisely using her time and attention.
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The sources even explicitly say be like Mary and sit at his
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feet. So it's not just a story about
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the past, it's an ongoing invitation.
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Seems so an invitation to adopt that same posture of attentive
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listening. And this really brings us full
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circle back to the sheer value of listening to Him.
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Because when we truly hear, when God enables that, we connect
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with something beyond just our daily worries.
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We connect with something lasting.
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Exactly. Jesus's words aren't temporary
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opinions or fleeting advice, He says in Mark 13.
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Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
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They endure. They're eternal.
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They're eternal. Anchoring ourselves in them
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means grounding ourselves in what is ultimately real and
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unchanging. And there's a result tied to
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that. Yes, Joy, fullness of joy, Jesus
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said He spoke these things, that your joy may be full.
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John 15 and also John 17. Full joy, not just temporary
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happiness. A complete, fulfilling
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satisfaction that isn't dependent on circumstances.
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Listening to Him, grounding ourselves in His eternal words
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leads to this deep, abiding peace and contentment.
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Which makes the act of listening not just, you know, a duty we
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have to perform. No, much more than that, yeah.
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It becomes the pathway to finding that ultimate
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satisfaction, that peace that can't be shaken.
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It's truly life giving. Wow, that's quite a journey
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through why listening to Jesus is presented as so absolutely
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central. His words have this incredible
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authority. The very words of God.
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With power that affects reality itself.
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Demons, disease, even death. And crucially, they're the path
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to eternal life. They actually awaken belief in
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Him. But also that sobering
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realization that truly hearing requires God's help.
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He has to prepare our hearts. Give us those ears to hear.
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A divine act creating a receptive place within us.
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It really changes how you think about listening.
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It really does, and it makes you wonder, doesn't it?
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You know, we spend so much time listening to countless other
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voices every single day. News, social media, opinions,
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Advice. Constantly bombarded.
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Yeah, So what might actually change in your life for you
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listening right now if you intentionally made space carved
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that time to just sit and listen to Jesus's words, recognizing
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them as Mary did, as that good portion?
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That's the question to wrestle with, isn't it?
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A really vital point for personal reflection.
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We hope this deep dive has given you plenty to think about.
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Yeah, maybe a fresh perspective on what it means to truly hear.
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We trust it's been helpful. We certainly hope this deep dive
20:40
has given you a shortcut to being genuinely well informed on
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this specific topic. Thanks so much for joining us
20:45
for the deep dive. You've been listening to
20:48
Reformed Thinking. Join us next time for another
20:51
deep dive.