|
Larry Ray Hafley
On the mount of transfiguration, God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matt. 17:5).
In effect, God said, "It is time to turn from Moses and the prophets. Listen
to my Son; 'hear ye him.'" Indeed, at various times and in many ways, God had
spoken "unto the fathers by the prophets" (Heb. 1:1). Now, though, God is
saying, "I am speaking to you, not through the prophets, but through my Son;
'hear ye him.'"
We all know this, but what does it mean? What are the consequences of the
command to hear the word of Christ?
First, of course, as previously noted, it means that we no longer turn to the
Old Testament as our guide. The New Testament is the constitution of the kingdom
of Christ (Acts 3:22, 23; Heb. 12:25).
Second, we may not hear and heed another (Cf. Jn. 10:5). We are to hear the
Lord Jesus, not Mohammed and the Koran, not Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon,
not the councils, catechisms, conclaves and creeds of men as expressed in
Catholicism and Protestant denominationalism. In short, "hear ye him," and him
only shalt thou hear (Jn. 12:48).
Third, all alike are amenable and accountable to hear. None are exempt (Mk.
16:15). That my wife or my mother have heard benefits me not in the least. I
must hear, and so must you.
Fourth, to hear comprehends, not merely to register sounds on auditory
faculties, but to obey. "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things
which I say" (Lk. 6:46)? "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves" (Jas. 1:22).
Finally, one may devoutly hear and devotedly heed all the best and noblest
sentiments of mankind, but if he hears them and ignores that one singular,
spiritual voice, he is stone deaf to all that matters or has meaning. "The words
that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (Jn. 6:63). "Thou
hast the words of eternal life" (Jn. 6:68). One may know every subtle nuance of
Shakespeare, weep at the quaint poignancy of Lincoln's speeches, or soar on the
eloquence of Churchill's histories, but if he misses the sweet syllables of the
Savior's breath, he may as well have been born without sense or senses. In view,
therefore, of all that is high, holy, and heavenly, "hear ye him."
|