"Have We Gone Deaf?" - John 10:1-10 - April 21, 2002

There used to be a commercial on television about the stock brokerage firm, E.F. Hutton. The commercial always took place in a crowded area. One man would ask the other what his stock broker would say about a particular stock. The other man would then respond, "Well, my stock broker is E.F. Hutton, and E.F. Hutton says...." At that moment everyone would turn toward the two men to listen to what the man was saying. The commercial would end with the words, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."

This story is about listening. Jesus said his followers (sheep) "hear his voice" and respond to him by following. They follow, since listening, on the one hand, enables them to find pasture, and on the other hand, they enjoy safe haven at night. Also, listening to Jesus results in abundant living.

Those who don’t listen, Jesus says, "are like thieves and robbers." Why would people who don’t listen be like thieves and robbers? These are strong words. Jesus apparently has no tolerance for those who don’t listen to him. According to John Marsh (Saint John, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1968), thieves and robbers probably refer to Judas and Barabbas. Judas was called a "thief" (vs. 12:6) and Barabbas a "robber." (vs. 18:40)

Judas was listening to the wrong voices. He rejected Jesus and listened to the chief priests and Pharisees. He let power and politics influence him rather than the power of love. He was a thief because he sold out. Instead of following Jesus he went down a different path and rejected him.

We don’t normally think of people who don’t listen as "thieves." When our spouse doesn’t listen to us we get frustrated and even angry. When our children don’t listen to us we are disappointed and worry about their future. But, we don’t think of them as thieves. Did Jesus really mean that we are thieves when we don’t listen to him?

I teach a class on interviewing and counseling techniques at Edison College. One of the assignments requires the students to tape a 10 minute conversation with a client. It is an exercise for them to practice their listening skills in real life situations. I always emphasize the fact that their tape needs to be free of distractions and interference. It’s a great tool for learning and most of my students take this assignment very seriously. But, in every class there is at least one student whose tape has background noise, or the quality is so poor you can’t hear what is being said. When this happens it has been my observation that the class feels cheated, if not robbed of a valuable learning experience.

Perhaps this is why Jesus referred to his non-listeners as thieves. The faith community suffers when there are people who don’t listen. And, when people don’t listen they are stealing audio time that belongs to God. God wants to be heard and unless we have God’s attention we can’t possibly know what God has to tell us.

I have a hearing loss in my left ear. It frustrates my wife because I don’t always hear her voice. It is especially difficult for me to hear someone in the midst of a crowd of people, where there are other conversations, loud music, or some noise in the background. I simply can’t tune in. When we can’t hear, we don’t pay attention, and it can hurt our relationship with someone we care about who is trying to communicate with us.

Maybe we don’t listen to Jesus because there is too much interference. It’s hard to tune in to what God wants for us when other voices and sounds are creating static. My students who had music playing in the background or interruptions from phone calls realized how important it was to listen without distractions. Some of them were embarrassed when their tapes were played and their classmates couldn’t understand what was being said. How can we listen to God when our lives are filled with distractions?

The people of Jesus’ day were no different from us. They were distracted by what is popular, or the dominant voices of their society. Barabbas was popular with the people in spite of his unethical behavior. Pilate listened to the people who shouted for Barabbas and he was set free, rather than Jesus.

What are the dominant voices of our day? Larry King and Opra Wimfrey draw a tremendous share of the audience that listens to television. News, weather, sports, and the stock market dominate what we hear through the media. We are also bombarded by an endless assault by advertisers. Virtually everyone has something for us to buy. We are a consumer driven society whose ears are tuned in to anything on sale.

Recently my wife went to a nursery to purchase some flowers. The nursery was selling hanging baskets at half price. When she arrived,,the traffic was so heavy it was being directed by the local police. Some shoppers were buying huge quantities to take advantage of the one-time special.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if police had to direct traffic on Sunday mornings as people came to worship? Is it because we have nothing to sell that people aren’t attracted to the Church? Is there no longer room in people’s lives for the still, small, voice of God?

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus leads his followers to pasture. In other words, the voice of Jesus gives us everything we need. The shepherd also protects his flock at night. Following his voice gives us safe haven or sanctuary from the rest of the world. I believe, however, that the most overlooked statement in this story is in verse 10. That is when Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Abundant life, fulfillment, salvation, eternal life, hope, peace, however you want to describe it. God is not content that our lives should be anything less than good. God doesn’t want us to be stolen, killed or destroyed. God wants us to have life and the quality of our lives depends on our willingness to listen.

How do we listen to God? First, we have to give God time to speak, making room in our lives for God’s voice. Second, we have to free our lives of distractions, clearing the airways so that we can tune in. Third, we need to have a genuine desire to know the shepherd. "The sheep follow him, since they know his voice."

At the "Evangelism Connections 2002" Conference in Louisville, Kentucky we had the opportunity to listen to several dynamic preachers. Bishop Michael Curry, bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, Episcopal Church, was one of the featured speakers. Bishop Curry said, "Evangelism is an invitation to follow Jesus into the Dream of God." In short, following Jesus is what it is all about. For 45 solid minutes, Bishop Curry captivated his audience of about 600 pastors and lay leaders of mainline churches across the country. We listened intently to his message and most everyone was moved by his passionate message.

I was particular moved by a statement he made in his message when he referred us to the passage from I Corinthians 13:1-13. He focused on the words, "Love does not insist on its own way." He understood that verse to mean that "love, makes room for the other." Love opens the door to dialogue. Love creates the path for communication. Love is how we follow Jesus which begins with listening.

Have we gone deaf?

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio