Hear And Do (Luke 8:21)

 


Friday, February 28, 2025


Psalms 143; 146

Genesis 33

Luke 8:19-25


Hear And Do (Luke 8:21)


How do you get close to God?


One of the great advantages I have found in expressing my faith through Anglicanism is that there is a vast amount of spiritual resources from which I can draw. This means that there is a near-endless cellar of treasures I can dive into whenever I feel my love threatening to flicker. However, what this also means is that there is a lot in those resources that are of no help whatsoever. There is simply so much help available that it was inevitable that some hindrance slipped through as well.


And so when we come to today’s gospel passage, these funny-sounding words from Jesus come into focus when we realise he is telling us how we can get close to him. His mother and brothers and sisters wanted to push through the crowd; they, like everyone else, wanted to get close to Jesus. But that isn’t the way to get close to Jesus.


The way to get close to Jesus, to be as intimate with him as his own mother, is to obey God. There is so much fluff we could layer on top of this foundational truth. And, having spent some time in the warehouse of spiritual resources, let me tell you: there is fluff in abundance. But at the end of the day, if we want to get close to Jesus, we must hear the word of God and do it.


Isn’t it fascinating that this little anecdote comes just after the Parable of the Sower? Jesus has just told us about how different people receive the gospel differently. And he concludes by saying that we ought to take his words to heart, as a seed in fertile soil, holding to it fast in an honest and good heart, and bearing fruit with patience. This was the “what”. The “why” is what we get today.


Let us take the word of God, not as smug and proud self-designated intellectuals and sceptics, but as faithful and honest sinners in need of a Saviour. Let us hold to the word of God tightly, and let it do its thing in our heart, patiently waiting until it bears fruit. And when we feel our love flicker (as all Christians feel the ebb and flow pf this life as we hope in things yet unseen), let us draw nearer to Jesus by listening to his word, the word of God, and acting upon it in humble obedience.


How close to Jesus do you feel you are right now? What disobedience is in your life that is holding you back?


Jesus, my brother: send your Holy Spirit to convict me of sin, and righteousness, and judgement, so that I may repent truly and earnestly, and thereby see you clearly, follow you more nearly, and love you more dearly.

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