“I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my soul.” –Rumi

Recently I attended a show where one of the scenes had a song about parents and teachers who were not listening to the voices of the children. It was as if in trying to teach and steer their children, they had become closed off to the fact that maybe there were things that they needed to learn too. The show and that scene were striking, calling to mind this Rumi quote and making me think about teaching, learning, and the role of prayer.

After having retreated to spend the night on the mountain, praying to God (Luke 6:12), Jesus returned. It was then, and only then, after prayer, that Jesus took action. Perhaps the most appealing qualities of Jesus are that his words and actions match, and that he teaches with a motivation that comes from wisdom and nourishment received through prayer.

While his disciples and countless others seek to listen to his words, to see what he is all about, and to receive healing from him, Jesus, in his ministry, never seeks to elevate, separate, or cut himself off from others, outside of retreating to pray. In the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-26), Jesus stands on level ground as he teaches… as he ministers.

Throughout Scripture, and throughout the ages, Jesus is always in the midst of those who seek him. As we strive, struggle, and overcome, Jesus is one with us. And we are to be one with each other.

However, just as in Scripture, in order for this to occur, we must be honest, having within our hearts and minds an openness to healing, a resistance to complacency, and a desire to keep learning and to grow closer to God each and every day. Doing so allows for a life that is not only just and honorable, but also faithful.

And he came down with them
and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him
and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.

Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.

But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.

Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.

– Luke 6:17-26