With all of the voices out there, why should we listen to the words of this man? Check this out.

Being incensed once again by this dangerous and troublesome Jesus who was teaching in the Temple – their temple!!! – the religious authorities send out the temple guards to arrest him. When the guards come back later with no Jesus, they are met with, “So where is he?! Why didn’t you bring Him in?!”  And then the poor chief priests and pharisees had to hear this from their own guards, “NO ONE EVER SPOKE THE WAY THIS MAN DOES!” Can you picture the faces of the authorities? their consternation? I love it! The guards go to arrest Jesus and they end up being mesmerized by his presence, his strength, his fearlessness, but most of all, by his words.

Among other things, the guards heard these amazing words, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink, Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from them.” Really, WHO says things like that?!

When the God of the universe shows up and speaks, it shouldn’t surprise us that He doesn’t just bring a little information to add to our understanding of him, of life, of reality … OR to satisfy our curiosity, to confirm/condone our prejudices, our presuppositions, our “givens.” No, his words are intended to SCRAMBLE, RE-ALIGN, RE-ARRANGE, RE-ORIENT our entire view of everything, so that we can finally see and sense and engage with what is real and true and good and beautiful. They are meant TO CAPTURE US, TO TRANSFORM US, TO COMMISSION US.

That’s why we should listen to the words of this man, because “no one ever spoke the way this man does!”  

Are you not thirsty? (Four sources to choose from: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

– an event in John 7:32-44