Dear Friends,
How would you feel if you were listening to a sermon when the pastor paused, smiled, then before he continued his sermon said, “But to you who are listening?“ Would you be offended? Would you wonder if he thinks his teaching is so powerful that everyone should be listening? What if you had heard what the pastor was saying — but in truth —you hadn’t really been listening.
Perhaps the pastor realizes that hearing is passive, listening is active. Your brain is amazing, but it can’t process more than one conscious thought at a time. You can’t wrap your thoughts around a discourse on the Sermon on the Mount, for instance, if you are worrying about the pork roast you left in the oven. Your mind may flip from the Beatitudes to the pork roast, but you will not be actively listening when your mind is in pork-roast mode.
Another problem is perceptual filters. If we like someone and they are saying things we agree with, almost anything they say is OK. If we don’t like them or if the message touches a sore spot, almost nothing they say will be acceptable. We need only look at the ministry of Jesus to know this is true. Contrast the reaction of those who followed him with the scorn of the Pharisees:
“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching … “ Matthew 7:28 (NIV)
“But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Matthew 12:24.
Back to that hypothetical pastor who inserted into his sermon the words, “But to you who are listening.” It could be he was borrowing from another sermon.
In Luke 6:20-22, we read: Looking at his disciples, he (Jesus) said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.”
At this point Jesus offered a contrast that may have caused a portion of the crowd to tune out.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
Jesus knew that some in the crowd would have stopped “listening” because they had other things on their mind. Some would have tuned out because Jesus had bumped into their perceptual barriers. Jesus knew that even he couldn’t hold everybody’s attention so he continued, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Jesus emphasizes the importance of listening later in Luke when he says, ““So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.” Luke 8:18 (NLT)
In proverbs we read, “The mind of a smart person is ready to get knowledge. The wise person listens to learn more.” Proverbs 18:15
Romans teaches: “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
None of us has “20-20” hearing 24-7! Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will help us to listen with ears tuned to God’s frequency, more frequently.
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 