Years ago Jerry Seinfeld was doing a midnight comedy show in Las Vegas.

He was wearing a pair of brown boots, when a heckler in the front row shouted out, "I hate those boots!"

Seinfeld paused, and said, "Then you are a very, very, lucky man. Because tonight, my boots will not be performing."

Hecklers, of course, are people who try to gain attention by pulling us off track. 

Sure, we see them in comedy clubs and baseball stadiums, but we also hear their barbs from well-meaning family members, friends, and respected colleagues, who consciously or unconsciously, can say or do things that push us off track.

When Jesus meets hecklers he’s not always as kind as Jerry Seinfeld, in fact, he’s a bit more like Amy Schumer, who was once hassled about her boots also and said, ‘Where did I get them? At the intersection of You Can’t Afford Them and Stop Talking to Me…'

Yes, Jesus makes quick work of shutting down those voices that would pull him off track - and in doing so gives us an example of what we’re supposed to do.

On Sunday we’ll hear a couple of Bible readings that remind us of how precious and serious life really is - ask anyone over 50 and they’ll tell you ‘it’s so short’ - 

But we’ve been tapped to do the crucial work of faithfully tending to the people and professions to which we’ve been called.

We don’t have time to spare for hecklers - let’s stay focussed - stick to the script - let’s keep our eyes on Jesus.