Jesus Listens ...

Thursday, Oct 11, 2012. How do you make yourself heard? In our society where marketing experts try to tell us things 24/7 on all channels of our attention, it might be quite difficult to make yourself heard. Media are jumping on crazy stories … just to get attention themselves. In this environment, a story like the healing of Bartimaeus in the gospel of Mark sounds like a welcome counterpoint.

Do we realize what is going on in others? …

Looking into Mark 10, from verse 46, we read:

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

The key message here is: “Jesus listens”. And: “Jesus hears”. And: “Jesus acts”. He calls the beggar to himself. He is not overheard. He is not pushed to the side. He is not considered unimportant. He is called and listened to. He is taken serious. Jesus hears!

Of course, we also have to remark that the beggar here is not quiet. He is not standing in the corner, mumbling. He is calling out. He is shouting. He is making himself heard, with all his might. He is not quit at all …

God's fantastic presence …

The story here is about the time of Jesus. It is about a time, where Jesus lived on this planet, as a human, God among us. Today, we are one step further. He has died at the cross. We are beyond his resurrection and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Today we are in a time where we have access to God in prayer and silence. We do not need to go to a particular place, we can call him where ever we are. And as centuries ago, he is there, and he listens!

The bible counts on God's presence everywhere. You cannot imagine all the events, prayers and stories without a God, who is there all the time, who sees everything and listens to everyone … God's fantastic presence is a basis of all what we are told and taught in the biblical books.

So we can talk to God any time. He always hears what we tell him - even if he does not want to follow our suggestions or do what we pray for. His view is much wider than our view, his knowledge so much deeper and higher, that it is good if he does not follow every prayer. But he hears and he will take it into account. Prayer was and is a mighty tool, a way to change history in and around us and everywhere on our planet … (Roland Potthast) ... more texts