Do you hear me? Are you listening?

In the movie White Men Can't Jump, black and white basketball hustlers join forces to double their chances. Woody Harrelson plays Billy Hoyle (the white man) and Wesley Snipes is Sidney Deane (the black man). After a set-up, Billy puts a Jimi Hendrix tape into his car stereo. He start to jam, but Sidney is appalled so he launches into one of the greatest dialogues in the recent history of cinematography. Sidney effectively tells Billy that he might choose to listen to Jimi Hendrix, but as a white man, he doesn't really hear what he's saying. He's suggesting that Billy doesn't comprehend or understand what Jimi is putting out because he cannot relate to what he goes through in life as a black man.

I love the scene and watch it on YouTube periodically. However, it's important to note that Sidney is confused by the proper use of these two verbs. His message was that Billy cannot "listen" to certain music even if he "hears" it. The difference between hearing and listening is an important distinction to make if you want to be the most effective communicator you can be and the most effective Christ follower.

Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through the ear. It's one of the traditional five senses, so almost anyone can do it. Listening, on the other hand, is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret and evaluate what they hear. Hearing comes naturally while listening must be developed. Just because you hear doesn't mean you're listening.

As you know, I have a million ideas in my head and enjoy bouncing a few of them off Liz every now and again. Sometimes, I choose to do so when she is distracted by other things. She has the ability to multi-task extremely well, however at times she's limited to do so. In those latter moments, as I'm talking, she arbitrarily throws in the statement, "I'm listening" as she continues doing what it is she's doing. She'll even repeat what I say. I'll stop her and say, "you hear me, but you're not listening." Fortunately, we have a wonderful communication base and these moments don't cause us stress. We don't simply want to be heard, we want others to actively listen to us.

One of the most radical teachings of Jesus occurs in the Gospel of Luke when, in chapter 6, he instructs us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us (v. 27 NIV). This is undoubtedly one of the most perplexing and difficult things to understand about the life of Jesus. What I find interesting is that he opens this statement by saying, "but to you who are listening I say..." He doesn't want us to simply hear what he's saying. He wants to listen, in order to heed or make it a practice to do as he says. I equate it to when a coach says, "hey, listen up..." The coach isn't looking to be heard, he wants his pupils to listen, take action and respond accordingly. Simply put, do what he says.

Do you listen to Jesus, or do you simply hear what he says. By hearing, you might even be able to recite what's being said. Listening, however, demands that you engage in and do what is said. If you've taken the step to read the Bible, take courage in listening to Jesus.