John chapter 7 verse 15 records a question the Jewish religious leaders were posing in response to a teaching Jesus had given in the Temple. It wasn’t about what he’d said – the content of his message – it was about the source of his theological training. Since he hadn’t studied under the scholars in their system, they questioned the validity of his doctrine.
So, in verse 16, Jesus responded by saying he wasn’t reliant on any human source for his teaching. He said it came directly from his Father.
Then, he gave them two essential metrics for judging authenticity when a person claims to have a message from God. And we definitely need to consider these when it comes to who we’re listening to.
There are a lot of people in the spiritual communication business – pastors, authors, bloggers, talk show hosts, musicians. How should we determine which of them to pay attention to? Is it about the educational degrees they hold, their popularity, the effectiveness of their style?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a proponent of theological scholarship, and I definitely take it into consideration when I evaluate whose words I’ll expose my soul to. I also think it’s wise to consider popularity at least in terms of questioning who else is listening to this person and why. And I think communication skill is a worthy marker too.
But ultimately, the Lord said it’s about heart motivation – both ours and theirs.
In verse 17, he said we need to honestly check our own desires. Are we ready to actually do whatever’s necessary to align our lives with what the Lord may be saying through the messenger or are we content to simply be intellectually and emotionally stimulated by the words we hear? Jesus said the answer to this question is what shapes our ability to discern the spiritual authority of what we’re exposed to.
Then, in verse 18, he said we need to also evaluate the motive of the speaker. Is it to glorify themselves – to gain a following, impress others, enrich their bank account – or is it to glorify God regardless of what it may cost them personally? Admittedly, this isn’t always easy to tell at first. But according to Jesus, it’s important. So, we need to give attention to it if we’re going to carefully steward our souls.
When it comes to determining who we’ll listen to, let’s not make the mistake of the Jewish leaders by focusing on externals. Let’s pay attention to the internals.