Connections Archive

Harry Neale
Assistant chaplain, Lake Macquarie campus

"What brings you to Avondale?" is a question I ask new students. "Why did you choose theology or nursing?" is another. Irrespective of the wording I use, the purpose of these questions is the same--they quickly allow me to take conversation beyond the mundane to the significant. It's an enlightening experience because it's more than about eliciting information; it's about listening between the lines as a student shares their story.

Everyone has a story. Some are deeply moving, others are, well, deeply ordinary. But each is significant to the storyteller. The interesting part of listening to someone's personal narrative is in the choice of how to tell it. The selection of words, the emotional tones and body language that attend their delivery can reveal much about a person's attitude and perspective. This is the subtext of conversation. Those skilled at listening between the lines pick up clues, and, with the right response, take conversation to another level that is more meaningful and even life changing.

Jesus did this. In fact, He excelled at it. He listened between the lines when people spoke, reading the subtext of their speech, picking up clues about their attitude and perspective on issues that others missed. Consequently, He engaged people like no one else had before, leading people toward grand truths about the kingdom of God.

Take His encounter with the rich young ruler. Jesus, reading between the lines, saw before Him a young person desperate to find meaning in his life. The clues came through the ruler's approach--how he ran to Jesus, how he knelt before Him, how he greeted the Son of God, and how he asked Jesus one of the most penetrating questions ever recorded in the New Testament; How can I experience eternal life?

Jesus noticed this sense of urgency. In reply, He identified several "home truths" about the kingdom of God for the ruler's benefit. One of those was no one can negotiate their way into heaven. This, along with other truths pronounced by Jesus, hit the ruler with a profundity that caused him to step back and rethink his purpose in life, perhaps even his theology.

Does listening between the lines have its place? From this encounter, we would have to say, yes. But it takes focussed attention, a deliberate switching off of distractive thoughts that trespass on one's concentration. I don't do it enough. Not even near. And there lies the challenge.