To Hear or not to Hear

Luke 8:4-15

Jesus describes two types of people, those who have ears to hear, and those who don’t. The disciples demonstrate how to be a person who uses one’s ears to hear and not just to display jewelry: ask questions when you don’t understand.

Jesus was sometimes hard to follow, he rarely answered a question directly, and often spoke in parables. Like bait on a hook, these stories were cast out upon the ears of the crowds who followed him. Some would bite and be reeled in, these are the ones who used their ears to listen.

It appears our ears are connected to our heart. Pay attention to your heart as you read the gospels. Any emotional reaction is a clue that Jesus is speaking something you need to hear. When this happens, pause and talk with the Lord about this response. Ask  Jesus, “What’s going on? What does this statement of yours mean to me? Why does it cause such a stirring within me?” Then allow the Holy Spirit to reveal what has been hidden in the closet of your soul.

Today’s passage describes four types of soils. With which one do you resonate? Perhaps there are situations or relationships where you’ve been trampled upon and have become calloused to the touch of the word of God. Maybe your soul feels dry as a bone and God’s word is arid and lifeless, not living water. Is the pursuit of worldly things foremost in your mind and heart; does God’s word seem distant and irrelevant to the life you’re living?

And then there is the good soil, a soul which hungers for God, who finds each word of God pregnant with life-giving truth.

All types of soils can be converted into a fertile, productive land. Think about what would need to happen to transform the soil of your soul into an “honest and good heart, that holds the word of God fast, bearing fruit with patient endurance.” Better yet, talk with Jesus about the process.