Why do we listen to Jesus?

The Context

Feast of Booths or Tabernacles

Connection to - Healing of the man at Bethesda

Jesus’ Teaching is from God

Rabbi’s held a long history of referencing authoritative teachers and other Rabbi’s when they argued. Jesus cites GOD HIMSELF

Jesus’ Teaching Glorifies God

Jesus’ Teaching molds us to Character of God

Let me ask you a question, why do you listen to Jesus? Have you ever stopped and really considered the question? Or is it just something that “we do”? After all, there are a million voices to listen to, and Jesus is not the only teacher or religious leader to start a movement. You could listen to Buddha, or Mohammad, or Oprah, or anyone really…why do you choose to listen to Jesus? Today, I would like to offer three reasons for listening to Jesus as presented by his words in .

So, let’s set some context. Jesus finds himself coming into Judea in the midst of the Feast of Booths- or called the Feast of Tabernacles. This was the fourth of the five major feasts of Jewish life. The Feast of Booths took place sometime around mid-October, and in this feast Jews would live for seven days in tents to recall the sojourning of their ancestors in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. At the end of the feast a thanksgiving offering for the year’s harvest would be offered.

It is also import for us to acknowledge the connection point for this story. The events of connect to the events in . We will hear Jesus talking about healing a man on the Sabbath- he is talking about healing the man at the pool of Bethesda in , which took place on the Sabbath.

So, in the middle of this Feast Jesus is teaching in the Temple, and the people around were wondering how in the world Jesus had this kind of teaching- he had never studied under a Rabbi- which was the common mode of learning how to teach from the OT. We might ask the question another way today- What is the nature of Jesus’ teaching? Jesus gives three answers-

1- Jesus’ Teaching is not his own, but it is from God-This speaks to the authority of Jesus’ words.

A Department of Water Resources representative stops at a Texas ranch and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for your water allocation."

The old rancher says, "Okay, but don't go in that field over there."

The Water representative says, "Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. See this card? This card means I am allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any agricultural land. No questions asked or answered. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?"

The old rancher nods politely and goes about his chores.

Later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the Water Rep running for his life. And close behind is the rancher's bull. The bull is gaining with every step.

The Rep is clearly terrified, so the old rancher immediately throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs,

"Your card! Show him your card!"

Jewish Rabbi’s gave weight to their teaching by citing and connecting their ideas to well known and knowledgeable Rabbi’s they had learned from- we might call this dropping names. Jesus did not do such a thing- there was no need for Jesus to cite another person to give authority to his teaching because Jesus’ authority is always the highest authority, because his authority comes from God himself. Jesus tells the people that day that his teaching is not his own, but it is from God. I kind of feel sorry for those people who think that Jesus was only a “good teacher” or a “enlightened prophet.” He was not a good teacher- he was the God-teacher.

2-Jesus’ Teaching Glorifies God- There are a few things that tend to separate Jesus’ teaching from other self-called Messiah’s- Jesus’ teaching always pointed to God. Jesus never puts himself in the seat of glory- think of it, he is God’s Son, the chosen Messiah, he easily could have come to Earth and recieved- maybe even demanded- worship.

As a side note- this is true about preachers as well- I believe that the most pure preachers do the same- they cast the glory away from themselves and toward God.

This is the model of Jesus. casting glory away from himself and back to God. Projection is key.

3- Jesus’ Teaching molds us to be Holy- I am going to be honest- we do not need anymore self-help gurus. Jesus’ teaching is more than self-help- Jesus’ teaching is sanctifying. While the self-help guru wants to make you “better” Jesus’ wants to make you holy. The self-help guru wants to bring out the best that is in you’ Jesus’ teaching wants to put God in you and bring out GOD’S BEST in you.

Charles Colson said, and I quote, “Psychiatry, properly administered, can turn a schizophrenic bank robber into a mentally healthy bank robber. A good teacher can turn illiterate criminal into an educated criminal. But they are still bank robbers and criminals.” D.L. Moody said, “If you educate a robber of knots and bolts, after he graduates, he will steal the whole train.” It takes more than psychiatry and education to change a person. It takes the love of Christ.

There is one more thing I want to touch on for just a few moments. Jesus’ teaching is many times completely counter-intuitive to human nature, and sometimes even religious thought.

Jesus addresses the people who are mad because he healed the man at the pool on the Sabbath day. You see, there was to be no work on the Sabbath. However, there was also a law saying that all male babies needed to be circumcised on the eighth day. The problem, of course, is if a boy was born on Friday their circumcision would fall on the Sabbath- but the circumcision law outweighed the Sabbath law.