Listen to Jesus
by Tatiana Overduin
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Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me (Luke 10:16).
In yesterday’s reading from Matthew, we audited ‘hearing ears’. Today we are instructed by Jesus to ‘listen’. This text for today actually fills in the gap from Sunday’s reading when we received Jesus’ instruction to his disciples before they were sent out.
We, too, are Jesus’ disciples. In John 13:35, Jesus says, ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’. Who is a disciple of Christ? It is all who God calls, and it comes with a requirement. In Mark 8:34, we read that Jesus ‘called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”’. This is a powerful image of discipleship for Christians, especially when we proclaim the message of the cross.
Jesus physically took up his cross and suffered a most excruciating death for the sake of his Father’s kingdom. It was his sacrifice to us. Being a disciple of Christ requires we listen to Jesus’ teachings and will involve us speaking and sharing the gospel message. Doing so will inevitably mean suffering rejection.
There is an anecdote of a weary Christian who pleads with God to take away the cross they must carry. It goes like this:
‘It’s too heavy. I can’t bear it anymore!’ the Christian implored.
God, being full of compassion, responded, ‘Very well then. Place it down and go find one here before you that you are prepared to carry’.
The tired Christian searched and searched and finally found a perfect fit. ‘This one.’ they said. ‘This one fits. Since I must carry a cross, I’ll have this one.’
God looked with pity on them and replied, ‘My dear child. This was the cross that you lay down. But take heart, I will help you carry it’.
Each one of us who follows Jesus has our own inimitable cross in life that we must bear. And it most likely will include being rejected because of Jesus’ name’s sake (Acts 9:16). Alone it can be too much. But with God’s help, we can endure to the end.
Loving God, help us carry our own cross for your name’s sake. Help us not fear proclaiming your wondrous deeds, even when we suffer rejection. Help us listen to you and lead others to your cross of love. We pray in your holy name. Amen.
Tatiana is a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. She lives in Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide, and has two adult children and six grandchildren. She continues to teach English, History and Religion full-time at a secondary Catholic College. Prior to her teaching degree, she qualified with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College (ALC) in 1996, as one of the early groups of female students to graduate from ALC. She enjoys a variety of crafts, art, gardening, singing, writing and swimming.
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