Can You Hear Me Now?

Jesus didn't yell to get attention and we shouldn't have to either...

You’ve heard it. You can quote it. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Jesus said it several times to the multitudes as He ministered to them the truths of God’s Kingdom.

And now, here we are, over 2,000 years later, and the question remains: Can you hear me now? (That’s my modern version of what Jesus was expressing.) Hear what? What was so important that Jesus would put such great emphasis on it?

First, let’s just acknowledge that Jesus was also saying that not everyone will hear (meaning, understand) the truths He was proclaiming. So it’s very important that you and I not fall in that category. We need to purposefully turn up our spiritual hearing aids so we don’t miss an opportunity to learn the secrets of the Kingdom.

What Did You Come to See?

The first time Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” was concerning John the Baptist. But before He made this statement, He asked the people, “What did you go out to see?” (Matthew 11:8-15). In other words, are you just a casual on-looker? Or a serious investigator?

John Wesley once said, “Get on fire and people from miles around will come and watch you burn!”

It’s human nature to just sit and watch a fire. But Jesus challenged that nature with the multitude. They had been raised to watch for the Messiah and John was the “Elijah” they’d been expecting to arrive, but sadly, most of them missed it.

Do You Want to Produce?

Of all the parables of Jesus, this has to be the most recognized: The Parable of the Sower. And it’s all the most recorded. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all heard those famous words again: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Jesus even said of all the parables, if you don’t get this one, how else will you understand any of them?

God’s Word is like seed. Your heart is like ground. It’s that simple. But seed that is planted in wrong or ill-prepared soil won’t grow anything (and therefore won’t produce anything either). No wonder Jesus asked if anybody was listening!

Are You Pretending?

I was recently told by a friend in ministry that “tares” (or “weeds” as we would call them in West Texas) are actually called “cheats” by farmers. The reason is because they can look very similar to the wheat.

The wheats and the cheats is the most accurate picture of the world I’ve ever heard. Some cheats are easy to spot –but not all. And here’s how you can know the difference: When the wheat has a full head of grain, it bows under the weight of it. But tares (weeds or cheats) continue to stand tall, almost oblivious to their pride and self-exoneration.

No wonder Jesus said it would be easy to spot the “cheats” on the last day.  But humility reveals the true children of God. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Are You Adding Flavor?

I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted salt-less salt. It’s an oddity in my mind actually. I suppose it would be like putting sand on my tongue. And the mere thought of that makes me wrinkle my nose. So again, no wonder Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

If our lives are like salt that seasons and adds life and flavor to this decaying world, then it’s pretty important we don’t blend so much with our surroundings that we’re unrecognizable.

Have you heard someone sarcastically say, “Hellooooo??” It’s another way of saying, “Duh. Are you listening?” I think if Jesus lived today this might be how He would’ve challenged us. “Helloooo?? Anybody listening?”

You are the salt. You are the soil. You are the real. And you are the messengers.

Jesus didn’t yell it and we shouldn’t have to either. But we better be listening.