Ears To Hear

Read: Mark 4:1-12

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Mark 4:9

IN WORD

Paul and his companions visited Berea during his second missionary journey, right after he fled Thessalonica because of a riot. His reception in Berea was much better, at least at first. The Jews of Berea were more open-minded and noble than their counterparts in Thessalonica, and they searched Scripture to see if Paul’s words were true. Many of them, as well as many Greeks in the city, believed the message of Jesus.

Many people today call themselves “Bereans” and claim the gift of discernment, but generally they aren’t looking to see if various teachings are true; they are looking to see if they are false. There’s a world of difference. The original Berean approach was one of open-mindedness. Today the more common approach is practically determined at the outset to sniff out falsehood and expose it, and anything that doesn’t look familiar must be judged and proven wrong. We see the same difference in approaches during the ministry of Jesus, as some people had a voracious appetite for His words, while the religious leaders were out to prove Him false. One group of people found life; the other went down in history for rejecting a visitation from God Himself.

Jesus had an expression for those who listened for the unconventional voice of God: He said they had “ears to hear.” This listening attitude doesn’t approach every teaching with an agenda to rule it out because it doesn’t fit current assumptions. It enables us to accept what we don’t yet understand, or at least consider it, since clearly we may not understand everything God teaches at first. Those with ears to hear do not dismiss claims rashly. They consider, ask God, and let Him lead. They even admit when they are wrong. And they grow in God’s wisdom.

IN DEED

Having ears to hear is a vital Kingdom attribute. We can’t thrive in the Kingdom culture without it. We have to become accustomed to a God who blows our minds and ignores our categories. We must ask Him often, “Lord, are these things true?” Only then can we step into all the places He has called us.

ADDITIONAL READING: Acts 17:10-12

Vision encompasses vast vistas outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, the expected.

CHARLES SWINDOLL