LEARNING DAILY

Mark 4:9, And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let them hear!”

Jessus said these words six times in the four gospels and said it to each of the seven churches in the book of The Revelation. Interesting, right!? If He said this so often, we better understand what He meant by the phrase. It is also interesting to me that He said these words at the end of a parable or a difficult saying. Jesus is saying to listen carefully to what is being said; then process the words or analyze what has been said.

Everyone has ears so everyone of all ages, ethnicity, language, status – everyone who hears His words – needs to process what the words mean. It does not exclude those with hearing impairment, the deaf or the those of young age. However, there is a difference between those who have ears and ‘having ears to hear”. There are those who “accept” the words of Jesus and those who don’t. Those who don’t may accept them at a different time, but for the moment they may choose not to hear what Jesus (or His Word) has to say about salvation or some other topic. There are those who want nothing to do with the gospel message at a given time who may later decide to hear what it is all about.

In the Parable of the Sower Jesus explains that His words will pass right on through some because they do not allow the words to take root in their lives. Others allow deception and lack of understanding to choke out the words, so they lose their effect on the lives of the hearers. Still others allow the cares of the world – wealth, careers, prestige – to overcome the words of truth. Others hear the words of truth, of life and accept them allowing them to change and transform their lives.

In Mark 4:24-25, Jesus has another warning about what we hear. He speaks about the size of the measure or the container we use to determine how much truth we want to hear and accept. This is important to get ahold of. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, a Hebrew scholar, has written about this verse, “To hear means to obey; to obey is to overcome”. David Jeremiah writes in his Study Bible, “Those who apply Jesus’ words to their lives are given more spiritual truth, making their lives richer. Those who do nothing with His words, lose what little spiritual understanding they already possess (Galatians 6:7-7)”.

This tells me that each Believer chooses to decide how much of the words of Jesus they hear (through personal Bible reading/study/meditation, through Biblical based sermons for example) and how much he/she is going to accept. The more one comes to know and accept the words of truth and of Jesus, the more that person is going to grow and mature spiritually.

Each believer needs to take an honest look at their spiritual growth to see if there is anything that is stopping them from hearing and doing the words of Jesus and the truth of His Word. Who has been given “ears to hear”? All have. The words of Jesus to His original audience ring true for each of us today. Listen and pay close attention to what He has said. Use your eyes to see, your ears to hear and walk on the narrow way He demands to enter eternal life in His kingdom. Jesus told this way would not always be the easiest or fun way, but it is the best way. Seeking God’s truth takes time and energy; it demands that you focus on doing so. It is not always convenient in our busy schedules. It also takes a willingness to change the things we are doing.

Are you ready to accept the challenge to have ears to hear?