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Hear Ye, Hear Ye/Can You Hear Me Now?:
Pay Attention to How You Listen
A sermon by Dr. Scott Spencer
First Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Luke 8:16-18; 9:18-22; 9:28-35; 10:38-42
Ever since she was about two and a half, our
youngest daughter (who’s now 15) has been wearing hearing aids in both ears to
correct a moderate, but noticeable, hearing impairment. She’s done great with
them—hasn’t slowed her down a bit—a few curious questions from classmates now
and again (what are those?)—but no big deal.
She’s even made a virtue out of necessity and
discovered an advantage to her hearing aids. When she’s in a distracting, noisy
environment and wants to concentrate on her own business, she just flicks them
off. I’ve even noticed her occasionally flicking me off when I’m ranting
and raving about something, which happens now and again, not least on matters of
religion and politics, or when I’m whistling or singing a popular tune—and quote
“ruining the song for me, Dad.” Well . . .
Her experience has driven home to me in a very
personal way how important it is not only to be able to hear but also to
understand and give attention to those matters you really need to hear and to
filter out the mindless static and background noise that constantly buzz all
around us.
This was a special concern Jesus had for his
followers. He was vitally concerned that they not just have the opportunity to
hear the vital message from God he came to reveal, but that they “pay particular
attention to how they listen”—to the whole listening process—what they
take in, what they focus on, and, most importantly, what they do with what they
hear.
Just before the first text we read, Jesus tells
his followers the famous parable of the Sower, which features four types of
ground—wayside, rocky, thorn-infested, and fertile ground—on which seed may fall
with varying results. Only the good, fertile soil yields a healthy harvest.
The crux of this story is that the seed represents the word, the gospel that
Jesus scatters about to all types of people in all types of places; and the
grounds represent different ways we receive and respond to that proclamation.
Same word goes out to everyone; everyone has
the opportunity to hear—
·
but some let it go in one ear and out the other
·
some get real excited at first but have no enduring, root-level
commitment to the message
·
some let a million other messages swarm into their “in-box” and
strangle the word
·
and a few—like the good soil—latch on to the instruction, hang on
to every word, soak it in, and seek to live out what they’ve been taught
Same word but different ways to hear it—pay attention to
how you listen, Jesus exhorts.
So, how well do the disciples in Luke fare in
this matter?
About as well as many of us, I’m afraid—which
is to say, not that well. Over the next couple of chapters, Luke keeps coming
back to this “listening” theme applied to specific experiences of Jesus’
followers. I want to look at—and listen to—three test cases.
First, in chapter 9, during a solemn session
where Jesus has gathered his closest confidants to pray and reflect on their
journey thus far, he asks them a critical identity question—“Who do you say that
I am?” We’ve been together a while now. You’ve watched me tend to people who
are hurting; you’ve seen me work miracles; you’ve heard my teaching about the
kingdom of God. So—what do you think? Who am I?
Peter pipes up first, like the eager
student—“Oh, I know, I know, I know!” Now we know enough about Peter’s
impetuousness to cause us to hold our breath. Oh my, what’s he going to say
now?
But in fact, this time he
responds with a very crisp, very clear, and very correct response: You are
the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Well, Amen. Nicely done,
Peter. Good for you. Or so it seems.
But notice Jesus’ surprising response in the
very next verse. Where we expect a rousing affirmation, in fact “he sternly
ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone” (serious business) and then
proceeds to announce the suffering, rejection, and execution he is destined to
experience at the hands of the authorities.
What an odd exchange. Peter gives a right
answer about Jesus (for a change) and then is sternly ordered to shut up
and not tell anyone. What’s going on here?
We have to read between the lines a little, but
the impression that comes across from Jesus’ breaking in and silencing Peter and
the other disciples is that they have some more listening they need to do
before they start speaking. They haven’t heard it all yet; they haven’t quite
gotten the point.
Oh they can blurt out a correct one-word
response, but they can’t fully explain what it means. This is not a Trivial
Pursuit game or fill-in-the-blank test—Question: Who am I/Jesus? Answer:
“Messiah!” No, this is more like a brainteaser or an essay exam—fine, you’ve
got the title right, but what kind of Messiah do you think I am? What does
being Messiah mean? Discuss your answer.
And Jesus knows they’re not ready for that—they
need to listen and learn more—particularly about what Jesus emphasizes
about his own identity. I’m the kind of Messiah, Savior, Deliverer who brings
peace to the troubled and health to the hurting by fully entering into and
absorbing their experience. I’m going to suffer, I’m going to die, I’m
going to be the Messiah who lays down his life for his people.
Oh . . . you call that a Messiah? The
disciples aren’t ready to hear this yet—like a lot of religious folk today, they
like the power part, the blessing part, the victory part of faith, but not so
much the serving part, the giving part, the struggling part. The disciples
aren’t ready to hear that Jesus would be that suffering kind of Messiah,
and until they are, Jesus thinks it better they just not say anything at all.
Pay attention, guys, to how you listen!
Well, as it happens, eight days later, three of
them—Peter, James, and John—get another chance to perk up and really hear what
Jesus is saying.
This second occasion is another prayer
session with Jesus (contemplative praying is a good way to improve your
listening skills)—this time on a mountain accompanied by an incredible vision of
divine glory that includes special appearances by a dynamic duo from Israel’s
past. Jesus’ face and clothes glow with brilliant white light and he starts to
carry on a conversation—about his impending death, his looming “exodus”—with
none less than the great biblical prophets, Moses and Elijah.
Wow—what an amazing learning opportunity for
Peter, James and John—I mean, their own private mountain top seminar with Jesus,
Moses and Elijah. People might pay big money for that.
How do they respond? It’s Peter once again who
jumps into the fray. Peter can’t go very long without saying something, and
what first pops into his head has nothing to do with the serious seminar topic
of Jesus’ death. Instead, he proposes a special building project that suddenly
springs to mind: “Master, it’s good to be here—this is great—I tell you what,
why don’t we build three shrines or tabernacles to you and Moses and Elijah.”
We don’t know exactly what Peter’s scheming
here—the narrator says that Peter himself doesn’t really know what he’s talking
about. Is he thinking about camping out up here forever—forget about all the
troubles in the awful world down there! Is he planning on creating some kind of
exclusive mountain resort—come stay where Jesus, Moses, and Elijah appeared!
You could charge a pretty penny for that! If we could just figure some way to
put a golf course up here . . . .
Who knows what he’s thinking? But in any event
he obviously doesn’t want to discuss this business of Jesus’ death again.
That’s not the kind of Messiah he signed up for. That’s not what he wants to
hear. So he tries to steer the conversation in another direction.
But while he’s pitching his new idea, a cloud
descends over the mountain and a thundering voice erupts, saying, “This is my
Son, my Chosen one. Listen to Him!” Come on, Peter. I need you to
focus here, God urges. If I’ve brought together these three dynamic prophets
whom I’ve chosen to reveal My power and glory and wisdom, they might be saying
something worth hearing. Pay attention man! Listen—really listen—to Jesus
Messiah this time.
Our final example shifts away from Peter
and the male disciples for the moment to two female followers of Jesus in the
next chapter—two sisters, in fact, Martha and Mary, who struggle in their own
way with this business of listening. Well, at least Martha does.
Jesus has come to visit in their home, and both
sisters attend to them in their own fashion. Both love Jesus very much; they
just show it in different ways: Martha welcomes him and ministers to him, while
Mary sits at his feet and listens to his word.
As this brief story develops, it becomes clear
that all is not well with Martha and Jesus needs to correct her. But it’s
important to get the details rights and be fair to Martha, who has gotten a bad
rap from preachers and teachers through the years.
Martha’s doing nothing wrong here—her work for
Jesus is a good thing. The word used here is diakonia, from where we get
the word “deacon”—and it means “service” or “ministry.” She’s ministering to
Jesus. How? All we’re told is that she welcomes Jesus into her home and offers
him “much ministry.” Hospitality was taken very seriously in this culture and
involved a whole range of activities—including, but not limited to, providing
food for one’s guests.
Martha no doubt is concerned
about feeding Jesus properly—as we typically think—although that’s not her only
concern and the word “kitchen” never appears in our text. Still, even if we
focus on her table service, we must appreciate that such ministry represents a
high and noble calling in Luke for men as well as women. Jesus himself
says at the Last Supper that the greatest among you is the one who serves, just
like I am the one who serves you at this table.
So Martha’s doing great
work—nothing wrong with what she’s doing, but there is a problem with
how she’s doing it and, in particular, how she’s feeling about it.
It’s getting her down, it’s frustrating her, it’s overwhelming her.
And so she blurts out, “Lord, do
you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her
then to help me.” Anybody here this morning who has tried to serve faithfully
in the church or in any other sphere of life knows exactly how Martha feels
here—because there’s always someone, if not a lot of someones, not carrying
their fair share of the load. It’s all been dumped on you and nobody seems to
care very much but you. It’s hard not to sympathize with Martha here.
How does Jesus respond? Well, he
doesn’t grant her request, but he does care very much. He says, “Martha,
Martha” (notice the tender double reference)—“you’re doing a bunch of good stuff
here”; he never criticizes what she’s doing, but he does say—“You’re
getting really anxious and distracted by all you’re doing, and that’s not good
for you—it’s making you miserable. And your sister is not doing anything wrong
either. In fact she’s made a great choice, to listen attentively to my
word. And I’m not going to pull her away from that.”
What’s happening here, I think,
is that Jesus is inviting Martha to come and listen to him, too, and in that
listening find a fresh perspective, a calming center, if you will, enabling her
to then go about her vital work with joy, peace and a clear sense of purpose.
Distraction and frustration don’t help get the job done.
Jesus remains very committed to
doing God’s will. The whole goal of hearing God’s word, remember, is
absorbing it and acting on it. He’s not setting up Mary here as the full
model—just sit around all the time and listen to me, that’s all I’m asking. No,
you need Martha’s action as much as you need Mary’s attention—be doers of the
word, not hearers only; faith without works is dead—yes indeed. But you need
Mary’s attentiveness to get the right work done and to get it done the right way
and not kill yourself in the process.
Faithful, focused listening makes
possible the best kind of ministry.
Parents and educators have become
increasingly concerned in recent years with a mounting phenomenon among children
commonly known as ADD—Attention Deficit Disorder. It’s a complicated problem
but basically involves an inability to focus sufficiently on a particular
learning task. Such children are easily distracted by any and everything going
around them and tend to want to get into the action. So hyperactivity often
accompanies attention deficit—further impeding the learning-and-doing process.
It’s a difficult problem for many
children—but more and more doctors and social-scientists are lamenting that it’s
not just a childhood syndrome. One expert wryly observes: “the attention span
of the average adult is greatly exaggerated.”
Neurologist Dr. Richard Restak in
his study of The New Brain: How the Modern Age is Rewiring Your Mind,
discusses how our multimedia, high-tech, information exploding, nanosecond age
may be creating the first ADD society in history.
Just think about how much noise
and news, data and details bombard us on a daily basis. It’s enough to drive
anyone to distraction and frustration. Like never before we need to nurture our
listening skills, our concentration on the things that really matter—hearing
what God says to us and wants us to do. We need to make Mary’s good choice in
order to do Martha’s good work effectively.
One of the most pervasive symbols
of our rat-race, chat-mad society is the cell phone (I won’t ask how many of you
have yours with you right now on “vibrate”). You know the wireless ad that
features the guy all over the place, asking, “Can you hear me now?”
I think the All-Present God
confronts us with the same question—“Can you hear me now?” If so, then put
down your cell phones for a few minutes—and turn off your radios, TVs, CD
players, computers, I-Pods—turn it all off and just LISTEN, really LISTEN to me
for a change. And PAY ATTENTION TO HOW YOU LISTEN—intently, intelligently,
inquisitively, and most of all—actively, obediently—allowing my word to take
deep root and bear rich fruit for God’s kingdom.
CAN YOU HEAR GOD NOW? WILL
YOU HEAR GOD NOW?
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