Jesus Needs Ears that Hear

Are We Listening?

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

—Matthew 5:1

Following the Call— Chp. 1: MASTER TEACHER (Sept. 22)

Chapter by chapter. Alone with others. Pondering about pondering. I want to. Your turn.

It is not necessary that we should discover new ideas in our meditation. Often this only diverts us and feeds our vanity. It is sufficient if the Word, as we read and understand it, penetrates and dwells within us. As Mary “pondered in her heart” the things that were told by the shepherds, as what we have casually overheard follows us for a long time, sticks in our mind, occupies, disturbs, or delights us, without our ability to do anything about it, so in mediation God’s Word seeks to enter in and remain with us. It strives to stirs us, to work and operate in us, so that we shall not get away from it the whole day long. Then it will do its work in us, often without our being conscious of it.

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer (from Life Together)

Chapter by Chapter

With this newsletter we embark upon a journey, chapter by chapter, through my book Following the Call. Sometimes I will pull directly from the chapter at hand and add my own comments. Other times I will add additional insights from others not contained in the book. Sometimes I will do both. My hope is to generate responses and to hear your thoughts and experiences that are related to the text of my book.

Alone with Others

The Sermon on the Mount begins as follows: “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them” (Matt. 5:1). In an earlier post, “Proving Jesus Wrong,” I quoted Soren Kierkegaard, who warned against commentators. He felt it was enough to read the Sermon on the Mount by oneself. In a sense, Bonhoeffer implies the same thing above. We are indeed to be like Mary, who pondered in her heart the things told her by the shepherds.

But it’s important to note that Jesus spoke to his disciples collectively. His disciples came to him together. Jesus was forming around himself a band of followers who would put into practice what he said. Jesus wanted to paint for them a picture of what a community of such practitioners would be like. His way was not solo affair.

Jesus also invites us to discern the import and implications of his teachings with one another. Being “alone” before God’s Word is not about coming up with one’s own interpretation. It’s ultimately a posture of the heart. When it comes to hearing Jesus, our problem is not so much the presence of others but rather the danger of simply batting around ideas with no intention of obeying.

Though hearing Jesus is very personal, it is not a private affair. Learning with and from others, especially those who have spent a lifetime listening to Jesus, can help us grasp what Christ has to say to us. This is partly why I put Following the Call together. Jesus taught his disciples about the kingdom so that they could live out his message with one another. What about us? Will we come to Jesus in this way?

Pondering about Pondering

Matthew writes that Jesus’ disciples came to him. Jesus called and chose his disciples, but it was up to them to follow him. Communication cannot occur without a sender and a receiver. If we’re not on the line or simply hang up, communication breaks down. That’s why Jesus’ needs ears that hear. We need to come to him, not as one who happens to be in the audience but as one who attends to him.  

It is in this sense that Bonhoeffer refers to Mary, who “pondered in her heart” what she heard from the shepherds. Mary not only pondered but “treasured up” all the things told to her. She hid them away in a special place and tended to them. She understood that with the Christ child she was carrying something new had entered and changed her world, something wonderful but very vulnerable. She wanted to be ready to respond.

Pondering is like savoring a good meal with others. The point of a festive dinner is not that nutrients enter our bodies. Rather, it’s an occasion to take time to taste and relish what has been prepared in fellowship with one another. Something more than food enters our souls. The meal is an occasion for joy and communion.

Jesus spoke specifically to his disciples because he wanted ears that would hear. “Those who have ears, let them hear!” He wanted them to partake in what he was saying. This takes inner work. Too much noise, too many distractions, too many of our own ideas, and not enough time – all these deflect the power and meaning of Jesus’ words.

In listening to Jesus, the question is whether we, in the words of Bonhoeffer, are willing to be gripped and arrested by Jesus’ commands. Will we let his teachings dwell within us, stir us, work in us, occupy, disturb, and delight us?

Abraham Heschel writes that barren souls “go sightseeing to the words of the prophets.” The result? They “discover the shells but miss the core.” When Jesus speaks, he is doing more than giving advice; he is seeking to create, shape, change, and build a people worthy of his kingdom. Will we be that people?

 I Want To

Whether or not we actually hear what Jesus is saying to us depends a great deal on whether we want to hear him. This wanting to, however, isn’t always so easy to muster up. In this light, and in response to my post “A Spiritual Torpedo,” a friend writes the following encouraging word:

I identify with the man who dialogs with Anthony the Great in that I often struggle to offer (willingly and lovingly) even a “brew of corn” to one who could benefit from it. In excuse I am wont to intone, “I’m just not a chicken soup kind of person,” implying, I suppose, that I inhabit some kind of loftier spiritual plane.   

Perhaps I’m not alone in experiencing this reluctance, and in addition, adducing it to prove my inability to meet the high bar Jesus requires of us in his Sermon on the Mount. At such times I’ve found it helpful to remember the testimony of a speaker I once heard at a women’s conference who said that often the best she could do was to “want to want to want to want to . . .”  do what was required.  I think I’ve experienced that somehow Jesus accepts the mustard seed-sized grain of faith buried in that ellipsis and grants me the grace to please him, whether I offer the bowl of soup, a prayer, or just my “want to.”

Your Turn

Is it enough to want to follow Jesus? Have you found space to be alone with God’s Word? To listen to Jesus together with others? I welcome your comments, opinions, questions, and personal experiences. Please click the little comment bubble below to leave a comment or see what others are saying.