Dialogue

I’ve never fully understood the phrase, “ears to hear” until today.  As a writer, I must have “ears to hear” if I am writing dialogue in order to keep each voice unique.

But today as I was reading  chapter nine of the Gospel of John in my Bible I laughed out loud.  Almost the entire chapter was dialogue and as I read it, other phrases popped in my head, like: “Duh!”  “deer in the headlights” “What, are you deaf?” and a few more.  You’ll see what I mean when you read this dialogue:

DISCIPLES:  Who sinned, this man or his parents?

JESUS:  Neither. (turning to MAN) Go wash in the pool.

(MAN washes clay off eyes in pool and gains his sight.)

BYSTANDERS:  Is this he who was blind?

OTHERS:  He is like him.

MAN:  I am he.

OTHERS:  How were your eyes opened?

MAN:  A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me to wash in the pool.

OTHERS:  Where is He?

MAN:  I don’t know.

(OTHERS take MAN to church – it was Sunday)

PRIESTS:  Tell us again how you received your sight?

MAN:  I told you already, He put clay on my eyes and I washed and I see!

PRIESTS: (amongst themselves) How can a sinner do such signs?

(MAN shrugs)

PRIESTS: What was it you called Him again?

MAN:  He is a Prophet.

PRIESTS:  Go call the man’s parents.

(MAN’s PARENTS come to the front of the church)

PRIESTS:  Is this your son?

PARENTS:  Yes.

PRIESTS:  Was he born blind?

PARENTS:  Yes.

PRIESTS:  So, how come now he can see?

PARENTS:  We don’t know, ask him, he’s an adult and can answer for himself!

PRIESTS:  Are you sure he was born blind?

PARENTS:  We’re sure.

PRIESTS:  So, how did he get his sight?

PARENTS:  Ask him!  He can answer for himself – don’t involve us!

(PRIESTS call MAN back – MAN returns)

PRIESTS: Listen carefully, you are to give glory to God for healing you – not this Man you call a Prophet, He is a sinner!

MAN:  Whether He is a sinner or not, this I know: I once was blind, but now I see.

PRIESTS:  What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?

MAN: (very irritated) I told you already and you didn’t listen!  Why do you want to hear it again – so you can become His disciples?

(dialogue continues back and forth in this fashion for a few more verses.  Finally, MAN is kicked out of church after PRIESTS claim MAN is insulting their intelligence and knowledge of Scripture – JESUS sees MAN walking out of church)

JESUS: Do you believe in the Son of God?

MAN:  Who is He?  I want to know so that I can believe.

JESUS:  It’s Me, the one talking to you.

MAN:  Lord!  I believe!  (MAN falls down and worships)

JESUS:  I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.

(MAN was blind PRIESTS were deaf.  MAN sees, PRIESTS still deaf.)

THE END

MORAL: “ears to hear” are attached to the heart, not the head.