ST. ANDREW DUNG-LAC, PRIEST, AND COMPAN., MARTYRS (MEMORIAL)

All the people were hanging on his words. 

Jesus always seemed to draw crowds. Sure, some people hungered for his teaching and wanted to please God, but others came for less noble reasons. So when Jesus cleansed the Temple, some found it exciting to hear animals bleating and merchants swearing as their coins rolled all over the floor (Luke 19:45-46). They might not initially have understood what this had to do with Jesus’ concern for worship that would please God. They simply crowded around to get a closer look at this troublemaker.

But Jesus didn’t discourage anyone who came to him. He knew that their motives may not have been the most pure, but he wanted his word to penetrate their hearts, so he welcomed them. As a result, “all the people were hanging on” to all he said (Luke 19:48). There was something about Jesus that made his words memorable. He spoke from an intimacy with God that drew them to desire a closer relationship with the Lord. Not only did Jesus call people to turn away from sins like hypocrisy, pride, or unbelief, but he also stirred a sense of hope that they could be delivered from those sins.

Jesus’ words can stir our hearts the same way they did for those people so long ago. We might come to him for a variety of reasons: maybe we’re curious or maybe we’re skeptical. Maybe we’re looking for a deeper relationship with him, or maybe it’s just something we do because of the way we were raised.

But whatever our motive, Jesus can still work in us. As we listen to his words, we’ll find something stirring in our hearts. Our hope might surge as we begin to understand that God is a heavenly Father who loves us and wants a relationship with us. As his unmerited love inspires us, we might start to long for a holier life. Maybe we’ll even feel led to tell other people about the ways Jesus’ words are changing our lives.

Like those people in the Temple, let’s come to Jesus and hang onto his words. Let’s listen to him and linger with him. Because Jesus’ words are meant to well up in our hearts and change us.

“Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. Touch my heart today.”

1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59
(Psalm) 1 Chronicles 29:10-12
Luke 19:45-48