Spellbound By The Word

"And he (Jesus) 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 19:47-48, ESV).

Notice carefully the last part of the passage, "...all the people were hanging on his words."

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The New King James Version translates it, "all the people were very attentive to hear Him." In the paraphrase of the New Century Version, we read: "all the people were listening closely to him." The Bible in Basic English: "the people all kept near him, being greatly interested in his words." Good News Translation: "all the people kept listening to him, not wanting to miss a single word." God's Word Translation: "all the people were eager to hear him." Common English Bible: "all the people were enthralled with what they heard." And the New Revised Standard Version states, "all the people were spellbound by what they heard."

During the time of Christ, the people were "hanging on his words," "very attentive to hear Him, " "listening closely to Him," "being greatly interested in His words," "kept listening to Him, not wanting to miss a single word," "eager to hear Him," "enthralled with what they heard," or "spellbound by what they heard"!

How about us today? Do we have such kind of interest in the words of Jesus? Does His Word in the Bible captivate us? 

Unfortunately, even some so-called "Christians" today would prefer the teachings of men than the words of Jesus. 

But, Jesus said in John 6:63, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." 

If we want life -- the abundant life -- we will really value His words. And if we believe that those are coming from the "Holy One of God," no human propositions would attract us away from them.

Given To The Son

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us" (Reminded of 1 John 2:19, ESV).

Even before the time of the return of Christ, it will be evident that "all are not of us" -- not real children of God, not true believers, not lovers of Jesus! They would not continue with us.

But, for those special people whom the Father gave to the Son (see also John 17), the true believers, Jesus said:

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand" (John 10:28-29).

And for those who "are not of us" -- the false Christians -- Jesus said to them:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'" (Matt. 7:21-23).

If we are among those whom the Father gave to Jesus, thanksgiving and praise ought to explode in our hearts! For through Christ, He is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude 24)!

To Have God's Joy

Jesus prayed, "But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (John 17:13, ESV).

Notice the value of God's Word: "... these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves." A person could experience God's joy, if he has the words of Jesus! 

And if we read the whole of prayer of Jesus in John 17, we'll understand that His words or the words of His Father are not intended for everyone in the world. We read in verses 6 to 8:

"I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me."

Jesus intended to give the words to the people whom the Father gave to Him "out of the world." He also stated in verse 14: "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." 

In John 15:11, He told His followers:"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Do we "hear" His words right now? 

He wants us to have His Joy -- that our joy may be full!

No wonder David declared in Psalm 1 that the delight of the blessed man is in the law, in the testimony, in the declaration of the  Lord, or in His Word "and on his law he meditates day and night" (verse 2).