EARS TO HEAR
EARS TO HEAR
MARK 4:9-11 NKJV
9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
Jesus had just shared a parable regarding the sower and God's word. He closed with one of His well know statements, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Jesus could not have been referring to physical ears. That would have been an unkind statement. Ears to hear must be a choice, not a predetermined condition. Neither can it be a physical condition.
We get insight into ears to hear in verse ten. Those who were around Jesus with the twelve asked Him about the parable.
Evidently, there were people who chose to be close to Jesus besides the twelve disciples. They were not named disciples, but they were followers of the Lord.
Not only were they followers, they had a desire to know what Jesus was talking about. They were not content to just hang around the most exciting man in that day. These were people hungry to receive and understand His teachings. They may not have been among the twelve, but they were true disciples.
And Jesus answered their question. In fact, He said that to them, it had been given to understand the mystery of the kingdom of God.
These people are not named, but they had the privilege of gaining further insight into what Jesus was teaching. They had ears to hear about God's kingdom.
APPLICATION:
Having a hungry heart is evidently an important quality to God.
In the gospels, we see that those who value and consider God's things important are the ones who receive from Him. In Luke 1:53, Mary spoke that God fills the hungry with good things, but the full walk away empty.
Being casual or ho-hum about God's word and spiritual truths will not produce good results. But those with a hunger, a desire to hear and know and do, will receive more and more.
Jesus referred to people who had no desire to know as those being on the outside. God did not put them there; it was their choice.
I choose to come close to the Lord and have ears to hear. How about you?