8 April | Youth
«And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”» 2 Kings 5:7
They say that a text taken out of context becomes a pretext. It makes sense. However, more worrying than decontextualized reading is an ill-tempered reading. Let me explain. To understand a statement, we need, for example, to know the code or language, for there not to be any noise in the communication. The main thing, however, is having the predisposition to understand others. Imagine that I meet you in the hallway and ask: “Is so-and-so’s office here?” You can say “no,” “yes” or “I do not know” and turn around and walk away. This attitude, however, is not that of someone who wants to communicate, as it lacks the essentials: interest, predisposition, solidarity, empathy and trust.
Analyze the “silent dialogue” between the kings of Israel and Syria in the incident involving Naaman. History is full of misunderstandings. First, the king of Syria wanted to “negotiate” a miraculous cure as if it were a mere exchange of favors. He misunderstood. Second, the king of Israel, Joram, kind of “forgot” the central subject of the letter and tried to “read between the lines” the “real reason behind” what was written there. This is what I call “misreading”: you ignore what is written and focus on the worries and assumptions that occupy your suspicious and restless mind. The third and final misunderstanding comes from Naaman's unrealistic expectations about how the prophet should act (2 Kings 5:11). Naaman had a mystic and “magic formula” that had “nothing to do with it.” Then he became frustrated, furious, and wanted to leave before receiving the blessing.
The blessing of reading a good text only comes when you are in fine tune with the author. To do this you need desire, humility, courage and a positive predisposition. Also, you need to listen more and talk less; put yourself in someone else's shoes and give up on trying to make them see your perspective. Context is important, but it is not everything. It is the reader's attitude that makes the difference: from the mind, on the one hand, and from emotions, on the other. Closed hearts do not go with “open minds.” It would be nonsense. Remember this the next time you receive a message, hear a complaint, read a text, or listen to a sermon.