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Published: 03 June 2015

Waitressess ask the question. Moms ask the question. The genie in Aladdin asked the question. And, Jesus asked the question. Our text for this Sunday is another reminder of the miraculous power of Jesus and His perfect compassion. He had set His face for Jerusalem, meaning that He was going there no matter what came His way; but He was not too busy for a humble, blind beggar. I did say humble because the man recognized his genuine need and knew who could meet the need. That takes humility. I should probably add one word to his description..."zealous," humble, blind beggar. These two men, and one in particular would not be put off by a crowd that was too busy for needy people. The more they told him to be quiet, the louder and more persistent were his cries. It seems as though Jesus would have walked by if it were not for the strong will of the man in need. Some opportunities pass by and we never get them again, Bartimaeus knew this and he was determined to get Jesus' attention whatever it took. Sadly, if I was in the crowd that day, I fear that I would have joined the crowd in their desire to get the man to be quiet. However, now that I know the story and how important this man's faith really was, I have a lot of respect for his initiative and persistance. He is a picture of how to come to Jesus, especially when we are serious about our desires. We should take the time to think about what we want. The worst form of blindness is the one that thinks it can see and the worst form of poverty is the one that thinks this world's goods are enough. This account in Matthew 20 is a historical event but it is also a metaphor for the rest of us. We have deep needs and desires. We are blind without His touch. We are in deeper poverty than we know outside of His grace. In light of that, what is it that we really want? Are we content to live with the satisfaction of surface desires or will we take the time to drill deeper and seek real sight and that which is of lasting value? The crowd won't like it. Few will join in the search. Disciples may even try to put you off. But if it is the life and light of God that you want, it is the life and light of God that you can have. It will not come without arranging your life to have it. What do you want? Is it worthy of wanting in the long haul? How badly do you want it? What means will you employ?

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Published: 28 May 2015

If I was teaching communication skills I would use our text for Sunday as a classic illustration of formulating an answer before actually hearing what the other person said. We've all done it. Someone is "sharing" with us but we are not really listening, we are thinking about what we are going to say. That usually results in tension. Sometimes we answer a question that hasn't been asked. Sometimes we jump to conclusions that were never intended. Sometimes we get mad over what we thought the person said and missed what he/she actually said! Empathic listening is a skill we could all work on. Empathic listening has two key components; 1) Reflection and 2) Rephrasing. First, we should reflect on the emotion of the person who is speaking without demeaning comments or condemnation about the emotion that is present. Telling someone they "shouldn't be mad, sad or blue," doesn't really get them anywhere. Emotions are funny and can't be switched on and off at someone's suggestion or command. 2) Rephrasing means we try to say back to the person what they said to us in our own words. That requires listening. I am bringing this up this week because of the text we're in. The disciples, especially James and John, were not very good at empathic listening. In Matthew 20:17, Jesus told them about His suffering. Without what appears to be any attempt at reflection or comfort, James, John and their mother Salome ask for special favor in the Kingdom. Jesus had already promised that they would receive thrones; they informed Him they wanted the ones on the left and right of Jesus. Wow, talk about a failure to listen! No comment was made about His statement. No prayers offered for His comfort. They were more interested in their own glory than His suffering. But here is the beautiful part, Jesus answers them with gracious reminders. Even when people don't listen to us or seem to care how we feel, we can be like Christ. He did not "revile" but left all things to Him who judges rightly. Self-seeking and self-absorption is hard to "get out." It's a tough stain, a deep sliver, an entrenched habit. Jesus gives us an example of how to respond but that doesn't mean we should keep failing that "grace may abound." We should become better listeners but even when people don't listen to us, we have a Model of grace to help us respond. Jesus knew the Father really knew, and that was enough for Him. Are you listening?