7. Listening in Luke
It is interesting that while all the gospels record Jesus exhorting people to listen to his message (for example, Matthew 15:10: "Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand."), Luke is almost the only gospel writer who remarks about whether people were, in fact, listening to what Jesus said. Apart from Luke, only Mark comments on Jesus' audience listening to him, and then only a single time (Mark 12:37), while Luke comments on this a number of times, as we will see.
We can only wonder if Luke's background as a physician (Colossians 4:14) influenced his awareness of the importance of listening to people, and if they were listening or not. But in any case, Luke is particularly interested in this aspect of Jesus' teaching and what he tells us is instructive.
Luke doesn't just tell us what Jesus said. His is the only gospel that tells us that God instructed the disciples to listen to Jesus (Luke 9:35), and Luke alone records Jesus' instructions to his followers "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you" (Luke 9:44).
But Luke also tells us specifically whether people were listening to what was said: "When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening" (Luke 7:1), and a little earlier he records how Jesus himself commented on this point: "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27). This clearly shows that Jesus was aware that some people were listening to what he said, while others were probably just in the crowd out of curiosity to see what was going on.
In fact, Luke seems to indicate that Jesus paced his teaching according to whether people were really paying attention to what he was saying. The Evangelist tells us that "While they were listening … [Jesus] went on to tell them a parable" (Luke 19:11). It was precisely because people were paying attention – really listening – that Jesus extended his teaching to give them more understanding.
We can apply this understanding in at least two areas of our relationship with God. First, in our study of God's word it is imperative that we do in fact listen and not just read. Despite our best intentions, it is possible to sit and read several chapters of the Bible without really listening to what is being said, just as our minds may drift during an actual conversation with a person in the same room. The safeguards against reading and not hearing are to take frequent pauses to analyze or summarize what we have read and to review it when finished. This isn't always necessary in Bible reading of course, but the more we can do it, the more it can help us to truly listen.
The same principle applies to prayer. If our prayer is to be closer to a conversation than a monologue, we should be willing to pause occasionally and think over what we have said, let our minds be receptive to thoughts and ideas that may be placed there. Many Christians find it profitable to pray with a notepad – not just to list things they wish to pray about, but also to record things that come to mind as they do pray.
It is not that we cannot study or pray without using such strategies, but if we are truly desirous to hear God in our lives, we must be willing to focus on listening. It is interesting that in the parable of the Good Shepherd recorded in John 10, Jesus repeatedly describes his "flock" as those who listen to him. And we might remember, in this regard, the striking words of Christ which are only recorded – as we might guess – by Luke: "Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them" (Luke 8:18). We have all been given much, and it is as we listen that we are given more.