Ears to Hear

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

EARS TO HEAR

Luke 8:4-8

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." 

NIV

We have read this parable and its meaning many times and understand it because Jesus explained it in full to his disciples, and so we will leave looking further into the different types of people when we get the explanation that Jesus gives to his disciples. What we need to focus on now are these words that Jesus called out after telling the parable. We would hope that we have ears to hear, and that we do hear what Jesus has said and is still saying to our hearts and minds. However, looking into the Greek we find this word akouoo, which is typically used to mean, to understand, to perceive the sense of what is said. It is one thing to read the word of God, to quote it, as if we know it, but it is entirely a different thing to perceive the sense of what is said in the scriptures. Sometimes, we need the enlightenment of the scholars, or to hear the words of a preacher who has studied and has perceived the sense of what is said in the scriptures. There could also be preachers that have not perceived the sense what is said, speaking with silver tongues to gathered people unto themselves rather then lead them to God. However, we also have the Spirit dwelling within us, and He is the one who leads us into all, not some, but all the truth, which would indicate that because he is leading us we would perceive the sense of what is said within the word of God. But oud still comes down to whether we are actually listening to hear. There are so many loud voices all screaming for our attention, at times the noise can be deafening. There is even our own loud voice, telling us to follow our own path, seek our own desires, plan our own future, secure our financial portfolio for retirement, trust our choices for ourselves. However, can we hear that small still voice of the Lord, speaking the truth into our hearts and minds amidst all the noise of this life? Can we hear him? Can we understand what him speaking to us? If we do hear him and perceive his meaning, then we are left to do two things, ignore it, and do our own understanding, our own interpretation of the truth, so that it fits into our way of thinking, or we can perceive the truth he indents for us to hear, and apply it to ever aspect of our lives, making all the necessary changes of our thinking and thus living as to be in accordance with the truth we have heard. The question that is before us is do we have ears to hear.