Have you ever taken time to ponder
how important it is to listen to others? I believe it is an essential
part of enabling human relationships both individual and corporate.
Today we have two very unusual stories from the Scriptures involving
listening. The first is about the remarkable way the prophet,
Elijah, supposedly left the earth at the time of his apparent
death. The other story is a "theophany" or appearance
of God accompanied by the appearance of Elijah and Moses who
had long before ceased to exist in the physical world as we know
it. In this story Jesus takes upon Himself a radiant light that
is normally associated with the presence of God.
It would be easy to get caught up in the details of these stories
on this Transfiguration Sunday. This is the end of Epiphany,
a season of light and revelation. Wednesday we begin the season
of Lent, a time for serious, personal introspection. Today, however,
it is important to hear what our two unusual stories have to
offer.
In the first story the prophet Elijah senses he is near death.
He attempts to go one last time to speak with the other prophets
who also know this is the last time they will see him. Elijah
attempts to journey alone but Elisha, who will succeed him, refuses
to depart from him. Everywhere they go the other prophets try
to tell Elisha what he already knows, that Elijah is nearing
death. Whenever they speak to him Elisha acknowledges he is aware
of what they are saying and asks them to be quiet.
Finally, the great prophet, Elijah, finishes his tasks and says
to Elisha, "What can I do for you?" This is what
Elisha has wanted to happen. He wants to be alone with Elijah
so he can share something that is important. The great prophet
who is his teacher is now ready to listen.
"Allow me to inherit a double portion of your spirit when
you leave," Elisha at last requests. Elijah acknowledges
the request. He has listened to Elisha and he has heard him.
He responds to him by telling him what he must do. Elisha listens,
too, and he follows the instructions he has heard which results
in his request being honored.
In the story in Mark, Jesus is aware His work is about to take
a dramatic turn. He must now head to Jerusalem which will result
in His death and subsequent resurrection. While the disciples
do not yet know or understand, the action of Jesus will lead
to their salvation on a much higher scale than the one they hoped
to obtain, namely freedom from the Romans. In Jesus, God is going
to free them and us from the debt of our sin or disobedience
of God's will for our lives.
The unusual details of the story can obviously get our attention.
However, I think the final three words of God coming from a cloud
should be our focus. Here Peter, James and John are face to face
with Elijah and Moses, two of the greatest figures of their people.
The disciples are also in the presence of God and they see Jesus
in a way they have never seen Him before. It is enough to terrify
even the bravest of the brave.
Then from a cloud comes a voice, "This is my Son, the
Beloved." Afterwards come three words I believe are essential. "Listen
to Him!"
Peter wants to make the moment last forever. He wants the Kingdom
of God right then and now and he and his companions want it on
their terms. "Let us build booths for you to commemorate
this moment and this place." It was all Peter could think
of to do given his emotional state.
God says to Peter, to James, to John and to all who will follow
Jesus, "Listen to Him!" The disciples were not going
to like what they had to hear. Sometimes we don't like
what we hear either even when it comes from God.
C. Robert Allred is quoted in the February 26 issue of Synthesis:
Our
ministry is in the valleys of life where people are hurting.
Evil remains rampant in our world. Forces still threaten human
life. Families are more fragile than ever. Disease seems more
prevalent. Just when science develops a cure for one malady,
another comes forth. Poverty, hunger, crime, violence, racism,
elitism, and the never ending threat of war are still with
us.
You and I still have much work to do in the name of Jesus and
in order to accomplish it we must listen to Him as His instructions
and affirmations are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. We have
to listen in these instances to the same voice that spoke to
Peter, James and John.
Presently, I am working with a married couple whom I dearly
love. I believe they love each other or they want to love each
other. Like many couples they are having a very difficult time
hearing, understanding and accepting what the other one is saying.
They are so certain of their own feelings that they are rendered
almost incapable of hearing each other. My frustration is I think
I can hear each of them but so far I have not been able to help
them hear each other.
God commands us to listen to Jesus. We might not always like
what we hear. A woman by the name of Mary Babcock says:
Jesus
promised those who would follow His leading only three things:
- They
should be absurdly happy.
- They should be entirely fearless.
- They would always be in
trouble.
Den C. Skinner writes in A Passage Through
Sacred History, "If
we cannot see God in the commonalities that constitute daily
life, we would not recognize Christ if He walked into the room
and sat down beside us."
I believe a lot of that quote has to do with hearing as well
as seeing. Whose voices are we not hearing? Which voices are
we not heeding? Perhaps, we would discover more of what's
missing in our lives and in our world if we simply took the time
and created the space in which we could both hear and be heard.
The thing that's so amazing to me about this is it really
ought not to be a novel idea. Listening and being heard should
be an intricate part of loving and being loved.
God loves us and God listens to us. How well do we listen to
God? |
