In One Ear – Out the Other

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:1-9)

It had been a long and emotional day for Jesus. So many people were following him that he didn’t even have time to eat breakfast. Then his mother and brothers arrived in an attempt to forcibly take him back to Nazareth to protect him from himself because they thought they had to protect him from himself. Then, he was accused by the scribes of being in league with the devil because he had the power to cast out demons and bring healing into people’s lives – and all that was before lunch.

In the afternoon he left the house in Capernaum and went down to the refreshing shores of Galilee to preach. The first couple of verses give us the setting. The crowed was so great, (maybe the greatest yet in his ministry) that Jesus was forced to preach from a fishing boat. The picture we have is a vast group of people sitting in a great arc on the rising shore. I picture in my mind Jesus taking a moment or two to look over the crowd. Maybe the thought occurs to him, “It’s interesting what is happening here. Some people, as they listen to the Word, are coming to faith and the Kingdom of God is being birthed in their hearts. Their very destinies are being forever changed and lives are being transformed. Others are hearing the exact same words, standing side by side to each other, and there is literally no impact on them whatsoever. No hope being realized, no sense of conviction over sin, no renewed minds, no sense of God’s amazing grace and no transformed lives.” He allows his eyes to drift over the crowd – as they strain forward to hear him and jockey for better position, he realizes in his heart that even as he speaks there are going to some who hear and who will be saved and transformed and others who won’t. And then there are other people who will fall someplace in between. Some will hear and experience a measure of change – momentary compared to the scope of their lives - and then drift back into the same old rut they were in before they heard the message. For others, the wonder of God’s grace will fill and overfill within their hearts and their lives will be forever changed.

I think that Jesus kind of gets a picture of this in his mind and it touches his heart. “If every person here would only open up their heart and listen – really listen and receive what I am saying – what a change it would make in their lives.” So he gave them a parable, which if listened to and meditated upon would result in their opening themselves up to life. The story drew upon a rich agricultural image with which they were all familiar; a man with a seed bag tied to his waist, walking his field and rhythmically casting the seed. I’d bet that some of them there would go back home to the exact setting that He was describing.

The parable is a story with each element of the story symbolizing some deeper truth. The seed was a proper and powerful symbol of the Word of God springing into life. Within every seed there is almost infinite potential for life. The sower is of course Christ or anyone else who puts forth God’s Word, whether in preaching or personal exchange. The soil represents the varying condition of human hearts on which the seed is tossed. As the sower hurls his seed, some falls on the roadside, and the birds flutter down and steal it away. He hurls again, and it lands on rocky soil, where it quickly sprouts, only to wilt under the Palestinian sun. The sower casts in another direction and it falls among thorns, where it is choked and cannot grow. Other seed cast on good soil marvelously multiplies 30, 60, 100 times. End of parable. Jesus concludes, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This is how Jesus says, “Stop and think about this. Think about the meaning of what I’m saying. Don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.”

How Can We Make Sure God’s Word Doesn’t Go In One Ear and Out the Other?

1. Prepare the Soil of Your Heart. Good soil is the key to a fruitful hearing of the Word. Take some time Saturday night and Sunday morning to prepare your heart for hearing the Word of God. The more you take time to humble yourself and purify your heart in prayer and tune the receiver of your mind into the wavelength of Christ, the more powerfully you will hear the Word and the more deeply you will worship. Don't play into the hands of Satan by staying up so late Saturday night that you can't stay awake in worship. He constantly lies to you telling you that what you're doing at 10pm Saturday night is more important than being rested to give your best ear to God's Word on Sunday morning. Don't play into the hands of Satan by letting the newspaper set the agenda of your Sunday morning meditation. In other words don’t take a casual attitude when it comes to hearing God speak to you through His Word. If you expect a good crop of vegetables from your garden, you must prepare the soil. So it is with our hearts. If we want God’s Word to be fruitful in our lives, we got to prepare ourselves to be careful, attentive listeners.

2. Listen. Listen with all your might to the Word of God. Focusing attention on the Word of God is hard work for us sinners. Add to that Satan's opposition to your attention and the multitude of distractions we deal with and you’ll soon realize that listening requires determination. If we come with no resolve to work at listening and fight against Satan, we will be fair game for the birds along the path. They will pluck up the seed and we will leave week after week with no power to bear fruit. Focus on the content of the worship. Focus on the words and the readings and the prayers. Pray to God whenever there is a non-directed moment. Go hard after God. Don't coast in worship. Again and again Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Strive to have those ears and not to be among those who hear but do not really listen.

3. Determine To Develop An Attitude Of Receptivity. In the act of listening, welcome the Word of God. All the attention in the world will be of no avail if the message heard from God is rejected. Set your mind to be open to the Word of God even if it is new or demanding or challenging or goes against what you’ve previously been taught or experienced. Come with the attitude that no matter how God’s Word challenges you – you will have a response of humble obedience. Have a receptive attitude, not a resistant one and God’s Word will not go in one ear and out the other.

Jesus still speaks today just as He did so many years ago along the shore of Galilee. “Lord, help us to be prepared, to really hear and be changed by the power and wisdom of His Word."

Live the Victorious Life,
PT