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.