“The Art of Listening”
Luke 9:28-45
Former President Bill Clinton once said, “Being President is like running a cemetery: you’ve got a lot of people under you . . . and nobody’s listening.” I have a hunch that it’s not only presidents who feel this way.
A man was watching television. His wife was trying to engage him in conversation: “Dear, the plumber didn’t come to fix the leak behind the water heater today.” Husband: “Uh-huh.” Wife: “The pipe burst today and flooded the basement.” Husband: “Quiet. It’s third down and goal to go.” Wife: “Some of the wiring got wet and almost electrocuted Fluffy.” Husband: “Nuts! Touchdown.” Wife: “The vet says he’ll be better in a week.” Husband: “Can you get me a Coke?” Wife: “The plumber told me that he was happy that our pipe broke because now he can afford to go on vacation.” Husband: “Aren’t you listening? I said I could use a Coke!” Wife: “And Stanley, I’m leaving you. The plumber and I are flying to Acapulco in the morning.” Husband: “Can’t you please stop all that yakking and get me a Coke? The trouble around here is that nobody ever listens to me.” (1)
I have another hunch – I think that God often feels like no one ever listens to Him. In fact, our scenes from today’s Scripture passages confirm it. God wanted the disciples to know that they needed to learn the art of listening. So God said “LISTEN UP!” “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” God knew that OUR EARS HEAR WHAT THEY ARE TRAINED TO HEAR. Let me illustrate. I’m going to ask a series of questions – feel free to call out the answers. A tree that has acorns is called an ________? (Oak) Michigan’s football coach is Brady ______? (Hoke) If you have no money you are ______? (Broke) A funny story told by a comedian is a ______? (Joke) The cloud that rises from a fire is ________? (Smoke) What do we call the style of music sung by Peter, Paul & Mary and the Kingston Trio? (Folk) What do we call the sound made by a frog? (Croak)What do we call the white of an egg?... How many of you said, “yolk”? The correct answer, of course, is “the white.” (2) But we’ve become accustomed to words ending in the “oke” sound, and so we answer, “The yolk.” Our ears hear what they are trained to hear.
So we need to learn from Jesus because He had learned to listen up. Of the three Gospel writers who record this scene, Luke alone mentions that Jesus went up the mountain to pray. That’s because one of Luke’s main themes is Jesus’ prayer life. Seven times he alone records the fact that Jesus prayed prior to some major decision or event. Luke is driving home the point that the way Jesus stayed in touch with His Father was through prayer, through spending time with Him. Jesus did not want to make a single move without the guidance
strength, power, and permission of His Father.
So Jesus went up the mountain not to hear His Father’s opinion but to receive His marching orders. That’s how WE MUST LEARN TO LISTEN. It’s a known fact that just over half of Americans say they believe the Bible is God’s authoritative Word. However, only about a third say they believe people should live by Scripture, while less then 50% say they operate by a mixture of God’s commands and their own inclination, and less than 20% ignore God’s Word is if it conflicts with their own plans. We must learn how to listen.
In fact, there is a rather obscure but meaningful definition of sin in the Bible It comes from a Hebrew word that means “a failure to listen.” (3) When we fail to listen to someone, we cut ourselves off from them. So when we fail to listen to God, we cut ourselves off from Him. That’s sin. We must learn how to listen – to listen like Jesus did.
Like Jesus, we must SPEND TIME IN OUR FATHER’S PRESENCE. We sang it a few minutes ago – take time to be holy. We hear what our ears are trained to hear. In George Bernard Shaw’s play St. Joan, which is about Joan of Arc, Joan tells of hearing God’s messages. She is talking to King Charles, who doesn’t appreciate this crazy lady in armor who insists on leading armies. He’s threatened by her. He says, “Oh, your voices, your voices, always your voices. Why don’t the voices come to me? I am king, not you.” Joan replies, “They do come to you, but you do not hear them. You have not sat in the field in the evening listening for them. When the Angelus rings . . . you cross yourself and have done with it. But, if you prayed from your heart and listened to the trilling of the bells in the air after they stop ringing, you would hear the voices as well as I do.” (4) Joan was listening for that voice. We hear what our ears are trained to hear. Take time to be holy. Listen up!
The second message is to LET GO! On the mountain Jesus returned to the state of glory that was His before He came to earth and took up our flesh. As Paul wrote (Phil. 2:5-8) “Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross.” Now, on the mountain, Jesus experienced the glory again; but as soon as Peter mentioned staying there, God said a resounding “No! Listen to Jesus.” And what had Jesus been saying?
Luke wrote that it was eight days later that Jesus and the three went up the mountain to pray. Eight days after what? What had been going on? Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Christ. Then Jesus shared the road of suffering and death which He would travel. Then Jesus taught the disciples the way of cross bearing: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Then eight days later Jesus took the three up the mountain. Jesus wanted his friends and disciples to think. It was like Moses waiting on the mountain for six days prior to receiving the 10 commandments - God was preparing Moses to hear.
So now, on the 8th day, Jesus goes up the mountain with Peter, James, and John. After Jesus is transfigured and accompanied by Elijah, the prophet, and Moses, the lawgiver, God speaks: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen.” God was saying JESUS IS THE CHOSEN, THE SON OF GOD. He was drawing from Deuteronomy 8:15-18: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the
LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” Jesus’ voice is the voice of God. Jesus’ words are the words of God.
So JESUS’ WORDS HAVE AUTHORITY. Even the people recognized this authority. In Luke 4:31-37 we read, “Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.” So on the mountain God was reminding Peter, James, and John of this authority.
Now once again Jesus let go of His glory. Jesus was demonstrating the ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL POSTURE FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM – SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF OUR FATHER. During His earthly life Jesus repeatedly submitted Himself. In the desert during Satan’s temptations, here on the mountain, and in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus submitted Himself. Even on the cross, where He could have called 10,000 angels, Jesus submitted to our Father’s will. WE DO NOT TRULY LISTEN UP UNTIL WE HAVE LEARNED TO LISTEN WITH A COMMITMENT TO OBEDIENCE. Theologian and Pastor John Stott wrote, “The ultimate issue in relation to Jesus Christ is not one of semantics (the meaning of words) but of homage (the attitude of the heart), not whether our tongue can subscribe to an orthodox formulation of the person of Jesus, but whether our knee has bowed before his majesty. Besides, reverence always precedes understanding. We shall know him only if we are willing to obey him.” (5) Let go of selfish, personal ambitions; let go of personal, human glory; let go of anything that does not sync with God’s desire and will.
Listen up, let go, and LAUNCH OUT. Letting go is one thing – doing God’s will is another. When our ears are trained to hear, when we submit to God with a commitment to obey, we begin to LISTEN WITH OUR EYES; then our eyes impact our hearts and wills. A mother named Star Paterson tells of standing at the kitchen sink, working diligently on dinner preparations, her mind totally committed to the task at hand--peeling potatoes. Her middle son, three-year-old Steven, was playing nearby. Being a conscientious mother, Star’s ears were tuned to her son while her eyes focused on the pile of potatoes. Within a few moments she felt a tug on her skirt proceeded by the words, “Mommy . . .” She nodded in agreement, giving some brief verbal acknowledgments as well. There were more tugs on her skirt and more little sounds, “Mommy . . .” Again, she’d give a brief verbal comment and yet stay right on task. Five minutes passed. Steven continued to chatter and then she felt those tugs on her skirt again. This time the tugs seemed harder and more persistent. She finally put her potatoes down in the sink and bent down to her son. Steven took her face in his two little chubby hands, turning her directly to his line of vision and said, “Mommy, will you listen to me with your eyes?” (6) Even Steven knew that when we listen with our eyes, our hearts and wills are impacted.
Recall the parable of the Good Samaritan. The two religious men who did not stop to help both crossed to the other side of the road to pass by the injured man. Why did they cross to the other side? Because from there they would see less, be less impacted, and therefore find it easier to walk by. They knew that when we listen with our eyes, our hearts and wills are impacted.
Then we can DO GOD’S COMMANDS. It is easy to sit and simply hear. It’s easy to fall in love with doctrine without undertaking any obligations. But to listen and see in the biblical sense is to hear and do. That’s why James wrote (1:22-25): “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.” Or as John wrote (1 Jn. 2:4): “The man who says, “I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
If Jesus says “Do not commit adultery,” do not commit adultery. If Jesus says, “Do not lust,” do not lust. If Jesus says, “Love your neighbor, love your neighbor. If Jesus says, “Don’t worry,” don’t worry. If Jesus says, “Pray for your enemies,” pray for your enemies. If Jesus says, “Make me your first priority,” make Him your first priority.
Look again at Jesus. He and the three disciples come down the mountain only to be met by a scene of disarray and confusion. They literally moved from the clouds of glory to the valley of gloom. Immediately demands are placed on Jesus, needs are brought to His attention, and sickness and the power of Satan are all around Him. The cold, stark reality that He had left glory behind and that He was walking the way of the cross was vividly etched upon His heart. Yet Jesus launched out into ministry and healed and taught.
Notice the RHYTHM OF LIFE – listen up, let go, launch out; listen up, let go, launch out; listen up, let go, launch out. It’s a cycle of life. When any of the three steps are left out or lessened, our lives get out of balance. When our time spent listening up causes us to neglect the needs around us, we’re grasping at glory. When we become so wrapped up on the mountaintop with God that the needs around us are going unmet, we’ve fallen into Peter’s trap. The times listening to God prepare us for the launches into ministry.
Where do you need to ALTER YOUR LIFE? What part of the rhythm is out of balance for you? Is it spending more time with God, praying, reading the Word, and listening to God? Or is it letting go and submitting to God’s will in some area in your life? Maybe you need to spend more time listening with your eyes. Perhaps it’s in the area of obedience that you need to work. You just need to do what God says, and respond to what your eyes see.
What is Jesus commanding you to do? Listen to him! George MacDonald wrote, “...obey him in the first thing you can think of in which you are not obeying him. We must learn to obey him in everything, and so must begin somewhere!” Here’s MacDonald’s practical advice: “GET UP, AND DO SOMETHING THE MASTER TELLS YOU; so make yourself his disciple at once. Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have this day done one thing because he said, “Do it”, or once abstained because he said, “Do not do it.” It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe in him, if you do nothing he tells you.”
Jesus went up on the mountain to pray; He listened up. He submitted to our Father’s will; He let go. He came down the mountain and healed and taught; he launched out. To have an impact for Jesus this must be our pattern.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta put it this way: “We need to find God and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature--trees, flowers, grass--thrive in silence; see the stars, the moon and sun, how they move in silence . . . The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us.” (7)
What is God waiting to say to and through you?
(1) John C. Maxwell, Be a People Person (USA: Victor Books, 1989).
(2) Richard C. Whiteley, The Customer-Driven Company (New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1991).
(3) Dr. Vance L. Shepperson & Dr. Bethyl Joy Shepperson, Tracks in the Sand (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992), p. 85.
(4) Bruce Larson, My Creator, My Friend (Waco: Word Books Publisher,1986).
(5) From "The Authentic Jesus" (London: Marshalls; Downers Grove: IVP, 1985), p. 24.Excerpted from "Authentic Christianity", p. 49, by permission of InterVarsity Press.
(6) Richard C. Whiteley, The Customer-Driven Company (New York: Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1991).
(7) Cited by Malcolm Muggeridge, Something Beautiful for God
