Creating a space to talk (Luke 6:17-19)

In the scripture today, we are told what Jesus has been doing to prepare to preach his most famous sermon, "The Sermon on the Mount."  He doesn't seem to have spent any time perfecting a manuscript.  Instead he has spent time earning the trust of the people. He shows compassion, heals, and casts out demons.  So when Jesus speaks, people are ready to hear what he has to say.

Our words are probably most effective when they are preceded by letting people get to know us.  And that takes time.

Recently we were walking our Great Dane.  A little boy - no more than 7 or 8 came running up to pet her.  She is fiercely protective of me so she leaned against me and growled at him.  My husband said, "I am sorry, she isn't friendly."  The boy was stunned, but not the least bit afraid. He said, "What is going on with that?"  It made me wonder if his parents were psychologists or something.  Before I could say anything, he said, "Oh... you have to spend some time with her so she feels safe and then she will be your forever friend."  Again, before I could say anything, he ran back to play with his sisters.  Odd little kid, but he was right.  Our Great Dane isn't going to trust you until she gets to know you.

Jesus knew this about us too and so he started his ministry with very little teaching and mostly demonstrating his love and power to heal and cast out demons.  So... perhaps we need to be willing to spend a lot of time up front showing the world that we authentically love them before what we say has much meaning.

Luke 6:17-19  17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.  18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.  19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.  


Matthew 4:24 - 5:2   24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them.  25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.  5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.  2 Then he began to speak, and taught them...


Mark 3:7-13   7 Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him;  8 hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.  9 He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him;  10 for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.  11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, "You are the Son of God!"  12 But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.  13 He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him.