READ: Mark 12:28-40
“David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? and the common people heard him gladly.” – Mark 12:37
The common people in Israel honoured Jesus. How do we know that? We know that He was honoured by these people because they listened to him gladly. When you pay attention to what someone is saying you are honouring the person. If a person is excited to hear from you, he has a lot of respect for you. Those who do not respect you may listen to you but not gladly. Your enemies and mockers may be forced to listen to you, but they do not listen gladly. Those who love you and honour you will listen to you gladly. And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. Luke 8:40
Some years ago, I had to choose a church to pastor and develop. I prayed about it. I decided to go where I was honoured. How would I know who honoured me? As I thought about it, I realised that students were the ones who heard me gladly. They loved my preaching and they loved to wait around just to hear me say a few words.
There were others who looked sleepy and tired when I preached to them. There were those who looked harassed when I called for a meeting. But the students looked excited to be called for every meeting. Indeed, it was not difficult for me to know where I had the greatest honour. Where the people heard me gladly was where I was being honoured.