Ears To Hear
Theme: We are eternally productive when we hear and obey God.
Text: Luke 8:4-15
Here’s a thought: John W. Ritenbaugh warns, “Hearing is serious business for the children of God.”
Have you ever driven somewhere and didn’t remember the last 15 minutes of the highway you just travelled? Have you ever listened to a sermon, read a book or heard someone tell you about their day and suddenly realized you don’t have the slightest idea of what the preacher said, what the author wrote, or what your friend just told you?
People heard about the miracles and messages of a young teacher from Nazareth 2,000 years ago. Luke 8:4-15 describes the scene:
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ 11 This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart,
who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” NIV Seeds from heaven result in:
Crowds
Luke had just described the loyal followers of Jesus, including the twelve disciples and the women who travelled with them and supported them with their time, energy and money. In contrast, Luke goes on to describe the crowds that were gathering and coming to Jesus. Besides Judas Iscariot’s betrayal and Peter’s denial, the people who made up this inner circle expressed their faithfulness to Jesus for the rest of their lives. I’m sure they had doubts and times of weakness, but they did not fall away.
Until this point, Jesus used similes or comparisons to describe or illustrate what He wanted to say. Here in Luke 8, He begins to use parables, sayings and stories not just to demonstrate a point but to prevent the casual, disinterested or resistant hearer from catching the meaning. Those who trust the speaker or leader will have an open heart and mind, while those who do not will miss or even resist what they are saying. We see this with our leaders today. Do we trust this person? If yes, we will tend to agree or give the benefit of the doubt. If not, our inner dialogue will prompt us to reject what they say.
Why can’t you trust anything balloons say? They’re full of hot air.
Jesus calls it the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18, but it could also be called the parable of the soils. The seed does not grow and become fruitful unless it is in good soil and good soil just grows weeds unless it has good seeds in it. Jesus describes four soils: the hard soil, the shallow soil, the crowded soil and the good soil. The seed is the word of God, and the various soils represent different types of human hearts.
We do not grow crops and gardens this way, but 2,000 years ago in that part of the world, farmers would often sow seeds before they plowed the ground. Farmers would walk along the paths in their fields, scattering their seeds with broad sweeping motions, then plowing them into the ground. Seeds could not penetrate the hard-packed dirt on the pathways between these plots of land. Birds would feast on the seeds left on the ground.
Similarly, the seed of God’s word is scattered and never settles into some
people’s hearts and minds. It seems like such a waste! What appears to be a crying shame to us allows everyone to hear from heaven. While we wonder about the usefulness of such a scenario, the righteous, holy judge of the universe lets people decide their eternal destiny by how they respond to the seeds of His word. Did you catch that? People are saved and lost not by their good or bad works but by what they do with God’s word.
The shallow soil describes people whose faith lacks depth. The seed that falls on this soil germinates, but the plants do not last because they cannot draw enough moisture during hot, dry times. These people receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while but fall away when their faith is tested. We dare not try to “sell” the Gospel of Jesus Christ by telling potential converts that life will become easier if they follow Him. Our lives will become more fruitful and productive as we follow Him, but not necessarily more comfortable here on earth. God does not test us to trip us up but to purify us. We can get stronger as we overcome adversity. However, if our faith does not have deep roots, we are vulnerable when the winds of life blow against us.
The crowded soil describes a distracted heart. Such a person hears the word of God and lets it settle into their heart. Sadly, they don’t treasure and nurture the seed of God’s word but see it as one option among many. Weeds and thorns will gladly fill the void when good seeds are not allowed to grow. Life’s worries, riches and pleasures crowd out the grain and prevent it from flourishing. Maturity comes when we receive, water and nourish the seed. The distractions of this world stunt our growth.
People typically like to measure success by crowds and cash. Jesus was not impressed with those who had a lot of people or money. Remember who Jesus is – the eternal Son of God. He has no beginning or end. Through Him, all things were made (John 1:3). Jesus knows and understands people’s hearts completely. He recognizes how fickle we can be. We can be keenly interested in what the Lord has to say, but this interest can wane or even disappear over time. Such a realization shaped His hopes and expectations for people. His disciples needed to know this, and we need to see this today. People will come and go. People will disappoint, frustrate and even betray us. We will be hurt, but we should not be surprised.
How would you describe the soil of your heart? How are you affected by those who are hard, shallow and distracted?
Seeds from heaven result in: Crowds
or
Crops
Jesus spoke to the crowds, but only those who wanted to hear would grasp what He said. He wouldn’t turn the masses away because He had compassion for them. The Lord also knew the crowds would eventually fall away or walk away. Jesus poured most of His time and energy into those who would take what He gave to them and do something with it. The Master wanted to see if He could trust people with kingdom secrets before sharing them. Like any good farmer, He was most interested in and excited about suitable soil for His good seed.
Good soil is the only fruitful or productive soil. The Bible often speaks about the heart, where we think, feel and make choices. Fertile soil is a terrific way to describe a heart that receives and applies the seeds of God’s word. Thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold are tremendously good harvests from Galilean soil. A wise farmer would focus His attention on the soil that produces good crops. He would do all He could to provide the conditions for that soil to bring a great return on his investment. After all, it’s His seed! Our Father in heaven causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). Though one day He will harvest the crop and bring it into His storehouses.
How do you harvest crops in the winter? With an ice sickle.
Jesus concludes His parable by calling out to the crowd in Luke 8:8, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus is the only one to use this phrase in the Bible, and it appears 15 times – seven times on earth as recorded in the Gospels and eight times in heaven as recorded in the Book of Revelation (Dake’s Study Notes). The word “hear” appears eight times in Luke 8:4-15. I think the Lord is trying to tell us something. The Message Bible expresses it this way, “Are you listening to me? Really listening?” He grabs us by our faces and says, “Listen up! Pay close attention!”
God does not give the gift of hearing to a select few. Almost all people are born with ears and can hear. You don’t have to be of a certain age, gender, nationality or status to hear. But there is a difference between having ears and having ears to hear. It is possible to hear someone or something with one ear and let it go out the other without being changed. Hearing requires an act of one’s will. Seeking God’s truth takes energy and focus; it takes a willingness to be challenged and changed (https://www.gotquestions.org/he-who-has-ears- to-hear.html).
American pastor and author A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) concluded, “Faith comes first to the hearing ear, not to the cogitating [thinking] mind.”
“I hear” comes from the Greek word ἀκούω (akouō), which means to hear, listen, understand and obey. Our English word “acoustic” comes from this word. Messages inundate us daily through what we see and hear, and it takes a lot to get through to people.
The Financial Brand explains (https://thefinancialbrand.com/news/bank- marketing/advertising-marketing-messages-effective-frequency-42323):
Marketing experts like to debate the “right ways” to calculate effective frequency. Some say repeating a message three times will work, while many believe the “Rule of 7” applies. There was a study from Microsoft investigating the optimal number of exposures required for audio messages. They concluded between 6 and 20 was best.
Thomas Smith, in his book “Successful Advertising,” makes the following reflection on effective frequency:
The 1st time people look at an ad, they don’t see it.
The 2nd time, they don’t notice it.
The 3rd time, they are aware that it is there.
The 4th time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it before. The 5th time, they actually read the ad.
The 6th time, they thumb their nose at it.
The 7th time, they get a little irritated with it.
The 8th time, they think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”
The 9th time, they wonder if they’re missing out on something.
The 10th time, they ask their friends or neighbours if they’ve tried it.
The 11th time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads. The 12th time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
The 13th time, they start to feel the product has value.
The 14th time, they start to feel like they’ve wanted a product like this for a long time.
The 15th time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it. The 16th time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
The 17th time, they make a commitment to buy the product.
The 18th time, they curse their poverty because they can’t buy this terrific product.
The 19th time, they count their money very carefully.
The 20th time prospects see the ad, they buy what it is offering.
Now consider this: Mr. Smith penned this witty insight back in 1885! Advertising was still in its infancy, but savvy marketers like Smith quickly figured out that “more frequency = more effective.”
Now more than ever, we need to sort through what we hear and don’t hear. We must be careful about the messages we accept and reject. We cannot afford to drift through life without exercising discernment. This parable in Luke 8 reminds us that the crowd is not typically where the seed of God’s word takes root, grows and multiplies. There is much more hard, rocky and thorny soil than there is fertile soil.
John W. Ritenbaugh warns (https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/ 5717/He-who-has-an-Ear-Hear.htm), “Hearing is serious business for the children of God.”
Hearing from heaven involves more than listening. It includes understanding and doing. James 1:22 counsels, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” NIV
The Lord issues this invitation in Isaiah 55:1-3:
1 Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. NIV
The question is not, “Are we paying attention?” The question is, “Who and what gets our attention?” Do we want to hear God’s voice? Then we need to obey the last thing He said to us.
Seeds from heaven result in:
Crowds
or
Crops
We are eternally productive when we hear and obey God.
