Hang on His Words
“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.” Luke 19:45-48
“The people were hanging on His words.”
We will get to that.
Pay attention to what Jesus did in the temple when He entered the temple.
The first thing He did after arriving in Jerusalem and getting off of that little donkey was go to the temple. What did He see? Those eager to make fast, easy money had set up in the temple to sell the animals needed for the sacrifices. They sold them at high prices. They were not concerned about the people-just selfish gain. The Jewish priests allowed it.
The next thing He did was disrupt the whole temple. He drove out the merchants who made money from those coming to the temple to worship. Their god was money. We would not be wrong or unfair in calling them “hucksters.” A huckster is a “hawker, peddler especially: one who sells or advertises something in an aggressive, dishonest way.” Yes, they were greedy. It was messy. It was bedlam. Loose animals, loose change, flaring tempers, confusion-and noise. Jesus took charge. He cleared the temple area. Is it possible the priests got some of the money the dishonest sacrifice sellers made? Just saying…Jesus called the temple “a den of robbers.”
What happened next? What happened after the dishonest merchants were gone?
Peace came to the temple.
Then…Jesus, Son of God, Creator of the Universe began to teach in the temple. And the people could not get enough of what Jesus had to say. What did Luke write?
“ALL the people were hanging on His words.”
What would it have been like to listen to Jesus teach?
What does the voice of Jesus sound like?
Is it possible to sense His power through His words?
When Jesus spoke in the temple those days, people stopped what they were doing to listen. Jesus spoke with authority because all authority in heaven and earth is given to Him. Jesus spoke with words of love. His words were truth. The words of Jesus were and ARE eternal. Every one of the words of Jesus will come to pass. Some did not know at the time…but Jesus is the Son of God.
That’s why “ALL the people were hanging on His words.”
You can hear the words of Jesus. Begin in the Bible. Start with the book of Matthew. The words of Jesus are truth, every one of them. Every word of Jesus was filled with God’s love. Earlier in His ministry, some people stopped following Jesus because His words were difficult for them to accept. At that time Jesus asked the disciples, “do you want to leave too?” Peter the disciple answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68
Whose words to we “hang on?”
Do we hang on the words of a superstar athlete?
Perhaps we are captured by the stirring words of a politician?
Some may be taken by the articulate speech of a teacher.
We were made to hang on the words of someone.
His name is Jesus.
As Peter said, “You have the words of eternal life.” No human alive has the power of Jesus. No human in all of history knows what you or I will say-BEFORE a word is on our minds. There is no one…not one…who can be present in every place at the same time. No one in the universe has ever loved us enough to die for us.
Only Jesus.
This is not fantasy, this is fact.
My friend…Hang on the words of Jesus…every one.
We can read the words of Jesus.
Start with the book of Matthew.