Not hearing, not understanding God

In Luke 20 leaders are wondering "by what authority" Jesus was doing what He was doing.  Today we do this too.  We wonder about our lives and what right God has to withhold, to require, to judge or to love.  We often believe that the events of our lives should be based on our faith, our labor or our status.  When God acts is ways different than our intentions, we wonder by what authority He is working.

Luke 20:1-8 ESV
One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up  (2)  and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."  (3)  He answered them, "I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, (4)  was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?" (5)  And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'  (6)  But if we say, 'From man,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet."  (7)  So they answered that they did not know where it came from.  (8)  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

There are many truths in this passage.  One of them is that our reason and intentions can cause us to miss the Lord.  Jesus can be talking and teaching right in front of us, but we can fail to hear and understand.  Why?  Because of our previous behavior (rejection of John) and present conditions (feeling threatened by Jesus).  

Like those in this story, much of our behavior is based on the fear of man.  Even though we do not believe something, we lack the courage to act on our believes.  In this narrative they doubted that John was from God.  In our lives we often doubt that the events or conditions of our lives are from God and in our fear of man we offer natural answers.  We close our hearts and minds to what God has done based on how others will perceive us.  Doing this often enough, we become contrary to God and our relationship with Him starts to fail.  We cannot hear what God is doing "now" because of the connection to our past behaviors.  Saints and sinners alike do not connect with God because they are held captive by past mistakes and opinions.

When Jesus moves in our lives or spiritual communities we start to question Him.  By what authority did they sing that song, declare that word, move in that ministry direction.  Our vision of God is held captive by our broken past and we doubt God's ability.  We start to think that most everything is natural, from man or just the ideas of people.  An active living God is mentally excepted but practically doubted.  We try to live for God based on human effort and the walls of hearing God become higher and higher.  In time we become like the people in our story, be base life on our past experience, the fear of man and our assumptions.

So what do we do?

In the mystic tradition, we embrace "not hearing from God" as His mercy and communication to us.  Not hearing God's voice is a crying out in the wilderness that something is wrong.  We hear this absence of personal communication with God and cry out for mercy.  Like the thief on the cross, we are trapped and cannot help ourselves.  Like the blind man on the side of the road, unable to rightly see what is gong on, we yell for help.  Our deafness is a gift of God to help us confront our past and our assumptions.  In that moment we need humility more than insight.

So are you and I humble enough to take our life experience and give it to Jesus?  Can we take what we know, what we believe, what we trust and surrender it to the Master?  Or are we the ones in control, are we the ones defining reality by our perception, are we the insightful under-standers of history?  

In just a few short verses Jesus will start to speak to the people about the end of this age and the harvest into another.  Most of those listening hold a world view that is radically different than the one Jesus is going to share.  

Previously in Luke this passage was written.

Luke 17:33 ESV
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Was this just language or an illustration?  Did Jesus mean to say this?  How many are not worried, planning, scheming, building ministry all around the idea of "preserving their life"?  Is this a passage where we must take what Jesus said and teach it in such a way as to reveal what Jesus truly meant to say?  I think not.

Ponder on this verse and may eternity enter in and drive the world out.  May you become full of the Lord; hearing, seeing and perceiving Him in all His glory and wisdom.