Words

Jesus once told his disciples, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Lk 21:33).  The stark reality of that notion is mind bending.  The world in which we live, indeed the entire universe in which we exist and even the heavenly realm will come to an end, but his words will never be unspoken or even changed.

Of course, some debate the fact that he actually meant that heaven and earth will pass but I see no grounds for modifying the straight-forward meaning, especially since His Spirit, through the apostle John, said, "Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Rev 21:1).

That his words will never pass away ought to give us as Christians great comfort as it means that his promises will never expire and his truth will never be changed.There is also the flip side of reality in that his warnings and his judgments will never pass away either.  Therefore we ought to listen to him alone just as the Father proclaimed on the mountain top, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him" (Lk 9:35).

The never ending, unalterable nature of the words of Jesus is an awesome thought indeed.  But did you know that your own words are also permanent and impervious to change?  Did you know that once you say a word that it takes on a life of its own and remains said forever?  "I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken" (Matt 12:36).

Given that words have permanent, unalterable weight, should we not weigh them out very carefully?  Ought we not take great care as to what we say?  If you tell a child that he is bad, when does that image disappear from his psyche?  Never!  If you tell a little girl that she is beautiful, when does that image go away?  Never!  What we say, good or bad, remains said forever.

Other words, from within or without, can begin to outweigh those original words but those words are still there and can only be affected by the counter-balance of new words.  But those words will not disappear and can always rise back up to help or harm an individual.

So, given that your words will echo eternally, even until Judgment Day itself, and that their impact on others cannot be retracted, perhaps we should "quick to listen [and] slow to speak" (Js 1:19).  Jus' Say'n.