Hear and Believe

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24 (NRSVUE)

I’ve talked about my Grandpa Sam in some of these devotions before. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, you listened. Not because he was perfect, but because his words carried a kind of lived-in wisdom. Maybe you’ve had someone like that in your own life — someone whose voice helped ground and guide you and whom you trusted. 

And if the voice of a trusted human being can do that, imagine the weight of Jesus’ voice — the One who speaks not only with wisdom, but with the very authority of the Father.

In the verses surrounding today’s passage, the religious leaders are already seeking to silence Jesus. To them, he was a rulebreaker and a troublemaker.

He healed on the Sabbath.

He spoke of God as His Father.

He claimed a unity with God that they could not accept.

Their anger wasn’t just about rules; it was about the possibility that Jesus might actually be who He claimed to be. The Messiah had been prophesied, but they just couldn’t accept that it was Jesus. And that possibility was too disruptive, too costly, too threatening to the world they had built around themselves. So they closed their hearts and ears. 

But Jesus keeps speaking anyway. And in the middle of their resistance, He offers a promise so generous it almost sounds impossible: anyone who hears His word and believes the One who sent Him has eternal life. Not someday. Not after we get everything right. Not after we prove ourselves worthy. But now. This is the wonder and the beauty of grace — Jesus doesn’t just offer forgiveness for our past; He offers transformation for our present. 

The leaders refused to hear Him because they had already decided what was possible. But Jesus says that the moment we open our ears and trust His voice, something shifts at the core of our being. A new life begins, even in the middle of our unfinished stories.

Most gracious God, open our ears to the voice of Jesus, the One who speaks life into places we thought were long gone. Give us grace to trust His promise, courage to believe His word, and hearts ready to live as people who have already crossed from death into life. Let His voice steady us today and lead us into the freedom You desire for us. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim