People dont care what you know, until they know that you care. Author unknown
[FONT=Times New Roman] Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum, and every Sabbath day he went into the synagogue and taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching, for he taught as one who had real authority, quite unlike the teachers of religious law.[/FONT]
Mark 1:21-22 NLT
Early on in the ministry of Jesus the people could see something about Him that was different. There were many teachers at that time in Jewish history and there were many synagogues. They might have been as common as our churchs today. Each community probably had one. It only took something like ten men to form a synagogue. What was it about Jesus that amazed the people? I think is was not so much His words, which had authority, but the love, respect, and genuine compassion that flowed from the Father, through Jesus, and straight to their hearts. Love will have authority over anything else that comes up against it. Two scriptures that back up that statement are God is love, and Love never fails. When people know that you care, they will listen to you differently. I remember when I attended Penn Valley College in Kansas City in the early seventies a music theory teacher that I had named Miss Nelson. Miss Nelson was a woman in her seventies who had never married. I later learned that she had been a nun most of her life. I had Miss Nelson for four semesters over a two-year period. Our class time was always 8am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The time she chose for the theory class was really a bummer. As a young man attending college I didnt care much for early classes because of the parties and studying that took place in the evening hours. Notice that I put the partying ahead of studies, thats just how my priorities were in those days. I continued to study under Miss Nelsons 8am theory class for four difficult semesters. It was because of something that made her different from the other teachers that I had experienced. She had authority in what she taught. I first noticed this when she sat down at the piano and commanded the instrument to obey her fingers. She had an amazing way of flowing over the keys producing sounds that came only from love of music, love of teaching, and love for her students. When I first became aware of the authority she had over the instrument I observed how she could take sheet music that was written in one key and play it from sight in any other key. I have never seen anyone yet that could transpose music as she could. She not only had authority over the piano, but authority over written music on paper. First thing each morning we would have a test on note intervals. This was to develop ear training. You could play any two notes on the piano and Miss Nelson could tell you how far apart they were. She had authority over her hearing also. Today I reflect on the authority Miss Nelson had as a music theory teacher and I think of the authority I see in the words of Jesus. Jesus cared about those He taught and it showed. In the program of Alcoholics Anonymous I see this same caring demonstrated time and time again. The love of one alcoholic helping another suffering alcoholics in order to stay sober themselves is the foundation of our fellowship. Today I dont want to go back to the way I was. God has done for me, and is doing for me, what I could not do for myself ...JRE
God looks at the world through the eyes of love. If we, therefore, as human beings made in the image of God also want to see reality rationally, that is, as it truly is, then we, too, must learn to look at what we see with love.
ROBERTA BONDI
[FONT=Times New Roman] Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum, and every Sabbath day he went into the synagogue and taught the people. They were amazed at his teaching, for he taught as one who had real authority, quite unlike the teachers of religious law.[/FONT]
Mark 1:21-22 NLT
Early on in the ministry of Jesus the people could see something about Him that was different. There were many teachers at that time in Jewish history and there were many synagogues. They might have been as common as our churchs today. Each community probably had one. It only took something like ten men to form a synagogue. What was it about Jesus that amazed the people? I think is was not so much His words, which had authority, but the love, respect, and genuine compassion that flowed from the Father, through Jesus, and straight to their hearts. Love will have authority over anything else that comes up against it. Two scriptures that back up that statement are God is love, and Love never fails. When people know that you care, they will listen to you differently. I remember when I attended Penn Valley College in Kansas City in the early seventies a music theory teacher that I had named Miss Nelson. Miss Nelson was a woman in her seventies who had never married. I later learned that she had been a nun most of her life. I had Miss Nelson for four semesters over a two-year period. Our class time was always 8am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The time she chose for the theory class was really a bummer. As a young man attending college I didnt care much for early classes because of the parties and studying that took place in the evening hours. Notice that I put the partying ahead of studies, thats just how my priorities were in those days. I continued to study under Miss Nelsons 8am theory class for four difficult semesters. It was because of something that made her different from the other teachers that I had experienced. She had authority in what she taught. I first noticed this when she sat down at the piano and commanded the instrument to obey her fingers. She had an amazing way of flowing over the keys producing sounds that came only from love of music, love of teaching, and love for her students. When I first became aware of the authority she had over the instrument I observed how she could take sheet music that was written in one key and play it from sight in any other key. I have never seen anyone yet that could transpose music as she could. She not only had authority over the piano, but authority over written music on paper. First thing each morning we would have a test on note intervals. This was to develop ear training. You could play any two notes on the piano and Miss Nelson could tell you how far apart they were. She had authority over her hearing also. Today I reflect on the authority Miss Nelson had as a music theory teacher and I think of the authority I see in the words of Jesus. Jesus cared about those He taught and it showed. In the program of Alcoholics Anonymous I see this same caring demonstrated time and time again. The love of one alcoholic helping another suffering alcoholics in order to stay sober themselves is the foundation of our fellowship. Today I dont want to go back to the way I was. God has done for me, and is doing for me, what I could not do for myself ...JRE
God looks at the world through the eyes of love. If we, therefore, as human beings made in the image of God also want to see reality rationally, that is, as it truly is, then we, too, must learn to look at what we see with love.
ROBERTA BONDI
