Have you ever wondered what the voice of Jesus must have sounded like?

Jesus would have spoken Aramaic. He would have known Hebrew and Greek as well. As a boy he would have received the standard education for his day, been raised in the synagogue, and learned the language of commerce when apprenticing under Joseph.

Unfortunately, we can’t go back in time to hear his tone of voice. But oh, how amazing that would be! My sense is that his tone would have varied depending on the situation. My guess is that he would be pastoral-yet-energetic through the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12); tender when offering compassion (John 8:10-11); unyieldingly firm as he chastised hypocrites (Matthew 23:13-15); and even more so when he called people to repent or perish (Luke 13:3)!

Even though we don’t know what his voice would have sounded like, we know many of the words themselves. We find them, of course, in the Gospels.

But we should also remember that Jesus would have been exceptionally familiar with the psalms. These were sung by God’s people week in and week out. Much of what Jesus did was in fulfilment of the psalms. He also pointed to their authority, and sometimes quoted from them, including when he was hanging on the cross (Psalm 22:1; Mark 15:34).

My point is this. If you want greater intimacy with the voice of Jesus, read and learn the psalms. If you are looking for something to memorize, turn to the psalms. (If you want some suggestions, let me know.) Speaking the psalms in the power of God’s Spirit is one of the best ways to draw closer to the personal voice of Christ.

Psalm 1 is sometimes called the “gateway to the psalms.” “Blessed is the man… [whose] his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season… In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3).

I can picture Jesus as a young boy, singing the words to Psalm 23 as he wandered through a field. I can picture him reciting Psalm 46 as he and his family neared Jerusalem for the Passover feast. And I can picture him as a teenager pondering Psalm 91 as he lay in his bed waiting to go to sleep.

Let’s not forget the psalms. And draw even closer to the personal voice of Christ.

---

Notes:

-Bible quotes are from the ESV.