On the road to Emmaus Jesus approached two of His followers who failed to recognize the Lord in His resurrected state. The two disciples were involved in a deep discussion of recent events when Jesus joined them. When He inquired as to the nature of their discussion they answered in surprise, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about the terrible things that happened there last week.” Jesus then asked, “What things?” as if He didn’t already know.
For the rest of the journey Jesus listened as His two friends unknowingly talked to Him about Himself. He listened intently as they described His ministry, death, and resurrection. He could have stopped them at any time saying, “I know all about it. I know more about it than you.” But Jesus didn’t do that. Instead, He listened.
Many great events in the Gospels occurred because Jesus took time to listen. People like Nicodemus (John 3), the Woman at the Well (John 4), Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10), and Zacchaeus (Luke 19) experienced life transformation because Jesus cared enough to listen.
As our Great High Priest who represents us at the throne of grace, Jesus still listens. He knows our personal story better than we know it ourselves. He knew about our needs before they ever existed. He was aware of every trial and temptation we would endure before they ever came along. He knows it all better than anyone, and still He listens better than anyone.
Maybe you have never thought about this aspect of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In our desire to be more like Jesus, it would be helpful to evaluate ourselves in the area of listening.
· Do we give our full attention in listening, or are we easily bored and distracted?
· Do we multitask while someone is talking to us? (i.e. read emails, watch TV, etc.)
· Do we fail to listen because we are thinking about what we are going to say next?
A lot of great things can happen if we will follow Jesus’ example and listen intently to people. So let’s learn from Jesus and practice the art and ministry of listening.
Pastor Todd Weston
For the rest of the journey Jesus listened as His two friends unknowingly talked to Him about Himself. He listened intently as they described His ministry, death, and resurrection. He could have stopped them at any time saying, “I know all about it. I know more about it than you.” But Jesus didn’t do that. Instead, He listened.
Many great events in the Gospels occurred because Jesus took time to listen. People like Nicodemus (John 3), the Woman at the Well (John 4), Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10), and Zacchaeus (Luke 19) experienced life transformation because Jesus cared enough to listen.
As our Great High Priest who represents us at the throne of grace, Jesus still listens. He knows our personal story better than we know it ourselves. He knew about our needs before they ever existed. He was aware of every trial and temptation we would endure before they ever came along. He knows it all better than anyone, and still He listens better than anyone.
Maybe you have never thought about this aspect of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In our desire to be more like Jesus, it would be helpful to evaluate ourselves in the area of listening.
· Do we give our full attention in listening, or are we easily bored and distracted?
· Do we multitask while someone is talking to us? (i.e. read emails, watch TV, etc.)
· Do we fail to listen because we are thinking about what we are going to say next?
A lot of great things can happen if we will follow Jesus’ example and listen intently to people. So let’s learn from Jesus and practice the art and ministry of listening.
Pastor Todd Weston
