Often, listening to music is a passive activity. Parents absentmindedly turn on music playlists while cleaning, or drivers may flip to the local music station while on their commute. In these examples, music fills space more than it forms a relationship with the listener. While music can be enjoyed intuitively, deeper excitement and understanding come from active engagement with its elements, from hearing not just sound but structure, tension, and resolution.
Good Conversations Require Good Listening
The more we think about actively listening, the more we begin to realize this isn’t just a musical idea. Human conversations require good listening too. Like music, conversation is certainly intuitive—we speak, we hear, we respond—but genuine listening asks something more of us. It requires attention that is not distracted, patience that does not rush to respond, and presence that refuses to treat the other person as background noise in our own internal narratives. As James writes, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak” (James 1:19). Active listening is not just silence while someone else is speaking but engaged listening that cares for the person being heard.
Caring for someone through listening is deeply human. It is much deeper than noticing a theme in a musical movement—it’s actually noticing someone. And it is precisely in that space that the Gospel repeatedly shows us a different model of listening that is attentive and personal. The greatest model for this kind of listening is found in Christ Himself, who consistently engages people not as interruptions to His ministry but as individuals worthy of full attention and dignity.
Bartimaeus: Noticing Someone Overlooked
In the Gospel of Mark, Christ gives us a clear example of noticing someone who is overlooked. As Jesus leaves Jericho with His disciples, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus cries out to Him, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). The crowd tries to silence him, rebuking him and telling him to be quiet. Yet Christ hears him.
Jesus said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” (Mark 10:51–52)
Christ stops to listen. He pauses to show individual care for this man. More than that, He allows Bartimaeus to voice his plea. He gives him the dignity of speaking for himself. The question “What do you want Me to do for you?” seems unnecessary at first; Bartimaeus is clearly a blind beggar. But it is precisely here that Christ demonstrates true listening. He does not reduce Bartimaeus to his condition but sees him as a person worthy of a voice and dignity. In this story, Christ models true listening, offering a powerful example for how we are called to engage with others.
Road to Emmaus: Inviting Others into Conversation
A similar example is found in the story of the road to Emmaus in the Gospel of Luke. Leaving Jerusalem, Jesus meets two disciples, weighed down with disappointment, fear, and uncertainty after His crucifixion. Though Jesus could immediately reveal Himself, He instead walks with them without being recognized. And what does He do first? He listens. He enters their conversation and allows them to fully express what they are carrying: “We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). This is a sentence filled with loss. Instead of interrupting or correcting them right away, Jesus gently asks, “What things?” (24:19). He invites them to continue. Christ hears their sorrow, doubt, and confusion.
In both of these stories, Christ gives us a clear picture of what it means to truly listen. He does not rush to solve the obvious problem. He does not cut people off with quick answers. Instead, He patiently hears them. He gives them a voice and a place to speak.
Nicodemus: A Model for Asking Questions
In John chapter 3, a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus is recorded. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews, and thus an educated and well-respected man. When he comes to Jesus, he brings genuine questions. As their conversation unfolds, Jesus does not shut him down or rush him along. Instead, He engages, allowing space for confusion. Nicodemus asks, “How can these things be?” (John 3:9), a question that reveals both his curiosity and his struggle to understand. This passage shows Jesus welcoming Nicodemus into conversation. Rather than dismissing his misunderstanding, Christ engages with it in a wonderful example of listening with care.
Christ, as true God, knows all things. He knows the heart, the sin, and the struggles of each person He encounters. He does not need to ask questions to learn. And yet, He still listens. While He could instantly fix the problems of each person He engages with, He instead treats them as worthy and loved individuals by allowing them to speak. In the same way, we have the opportunity to show love to our neighbors through active listening. As Christ’s example reveals, true listening is not rushed and impersonal but gentle, slow, and patient.
Scripture: ESV®.
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