Is There a Downside to Time to Think?

In John 14, one of the best collections of Jesus' commands, words of encouragement, and explanations culminates with, "Get up, let us go from here."  It seemed rather abrupt, and is not a very nice smooth literary transition to the scene at the Garden of Gethsemane.  Of course, on the way, we have the "Vine" discourse in John 15 and Chapter 16 which sort of continues the sense of 14.  But verse 31 of John 14 is peculiar.

The question I have is why be so abrupt to change venue at this point of the discourse?  What was it about the discourse to this point that made the change make sense?  And what lesson is in there for me about this?  According to Chambers, the point is that Jesus did not want to give His disciples time to think about what He said, He wanted them to act.  That, to me doesn't make sense either, at least not at the point of this verse.  I don't see how that conclusion fits the context.  Or does it, at least partially?

I suppose it's possible that if Jesus had not changed venues at that point, He may have lost the attention of His audience, sitting around on comfortable pillows, after a great meal, in semidarkness of the upper room.  It's easy to imagine some of them nodding off.  Sounds like a good time for a brisk walk in the cool night air to clear heads, and maintain attention. 

Perhaps the lesson I can learn from this is to not stop listening to God when I hear something "good" only to miss better understanding as He continues to speak.  I can see where this could be a problem for me.  As I pointed out earlier, context is important to understanding.  And as I worked through the context, I used both literary and historical context to find possible meaning.  That requires some additional reading.  So, why wouldn't understanding what God is saying also include "additional hearing?" 

As a matter of habit, I like to analyze what I hear.  I think about it, filter it, try and match it against other things I know, try to fit it into a pattern of other information to form a better picture of the topic.  I just do that naturally.  Lots of people do, and it's not just a "guy thing" either.  This works great, except when I have started the process without first ensuring I have all the information to analyze.  Once I start the process, my ability to listen goes way down.  I admit it, I'm not a great multitasker.  I can do it in a pinch, but it's not my strong suit. 

Once God begins to be clear with me, I get excited (I mean I'm talking with the Creator the Universe here, who wouldn't be excited?).  If my excitement cause me to stop listening but dwell on the feelings of the moment, I'm wasting that amazing opportunity.  So I need to listen.  Then, if in my continued excitement, I hear something that resonates with somethings else in my head, something in my brain clicks with something God has said, and I begin the analysis process, then I am, again, missing and wasting this opportunity.

When I stop listening before God has stopped talking, I am going to get it wrong.  Think, Abram and Hagar and Ishmael.  Think Abraham and Sarah with Pharaoh and Abimelech, kings in their countries.  There are examples of David, some of the Judges probably fit into this category, Joshua and the Gibeonite deception, and so on.  Examples where they thought they had a good handle on God's message, but didn't listen to the whole thing, or go and get clarification of a detail. 

For me, it comes down to my pesky self-reliance popping up and grabbing for the attention which rightly belongs to God.  I'm saying, "Thanks God, I got it from here" when I don't "got" the whole picture.  Call it vanity, call it pride, call it whatever, but when I let it loose, I lose.  I do this with God, my wife, my daughter, my boss, co-workers, friends, acquaintances, people I meet on the street, people I see on TV, movies, see in malls, ball games, church, large events... did I leave anyone out?  I do it a lot, and not just to God.  So, how do I stop it?

The personal discipline of listening is a skill which counselors and therapist develop intentionally.  It's their job.  The better they listen, the better at their job they can be.  I have taken a class on being a counselor/therapist; a class, once.  It would seem that I have not developed this skill as I should.  No, my job does not depend on it, but it would certainly help.  While my marriage will survive without me being an expert listener, it would sure help to improve this skill.  It would certainly help me be a better parent.  But the real payoff will come as I make this a spiritual discipline, one making me more available to God.  It would be a real tragedy, after seeking to hear God's voice, miss the whole message because I stopped listening and started analyzing before He finished speaking.