As I was growing in the knowledge of Bible, whenever I came across this phrase I used to think Jesus used this phrase in a sarcastic way. But today when I read this phrase I really mean, that I had failed to understand the heart of Jesus in using this phrase. Today also many must be wondering why this kind of verse which is like poking type rather a blessing. I used to be thinking this manner when I had started my spiritual journey at first. But if you concentrate, pay attention, you will all really realise that all through these years even you failed to understand the real hidden blessings in the Bible.
Matthew 13:9
[9]He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Matthew 13:9. ? ???? ?ta ??. ??. An invitation to think of the hidden meaning, or rather a hint that there was such a meaning. The description of the land in which the sower carried on his operations would present no difficulties to the hearers: the beaten paths, the rocky spots, the thorny patches were all familiar features of the fields in Palestine, and the fate of the seed in each case was in accordance with common experience. But why paint the picture? What is the moral of the story? That Jesus left them to find out.
Many times even I used to think that they were the most responsive crowds, active crowds unlike today's crowd who comes in wooden brain, listen in wooden brain, and go in wooden brain only, what did it profit? NOTHING.
Why did Jesus said this phrase?
1) Matthew 13:2
[2]And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
There's never a doubt that Jesus didn't have followers. All the time Jesus at least had fifteen thousand to twenty thousand crowd. This I said on the basis of Jesus feeding of the five thousand, this number was counted of only men, and the similar kind of miracle of feeding seven thousand the number was again counted of men. If we take one woman and a child the number will exceed than what has been written.
Now who are these crowds or multitudes?
I think if you know at least basic things about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, then you know he was surrounded by few types of people all the times.
And I will divide them into two categories unfruitful and fruitful listeners
Let's see the difference kinds of people present there.
First comes unfruitful listeners.
Under this category let's see who are they.
The rocky, wayside and the thorny type, I have summerised these three into one category the unfruitful listeners.
1) Pharisees: What was wrong with the Pharisees, I cannot say what was right with them, according to the scriptures nothing was right in their practices as they were purely hypocrites.
They viewed themselves as the most righteous, the best, the holiest, and the leaders of the people. They took the extensive laws of the Old Testament covenant and multiplied them and made them ridiculously specific.
Even today, many talk a good talk and even live lives of great sobriety and piety. Some consider themselves great moralists while others claim a religious motivation and attachment. In either case, their hearts, because of their Pharisaical attitudes, are far from God, despite what they might say or think. Not only they wanted people to follow Mosaic laws but also the laws which were added by them. But they themselves were not doing a single rule of the Bible.
They always thought themselves as the most holy people in the Israelites community and fooled many but not to Christ. Jesus knows our in and out. This we can see in our churches today, people who think themselves holy, neither they allow someone to be better neither do they themselves want to be better.
Since I got many things to cover one thing I want to say if you want to be aware of the Pharisees please read Matt. 23.
Everytime they came to Jesus they had the mindset of 'I am righteous with God' so they missed the God himself, only the humble and meek mill see the face of God.
Matthew 5:6
[6]Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Matthew 5:8
[8]Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
2) Scribes: Almost the same as the Pharisees, because along with Pharisees Jesus rebuked the Scribes also the same in the Matthews Gospel chapter 23. They were like twin, oppossing all the times Jesus. If the problem of Pharisees was self righteousness then these Scribes were thinking themselves highly qualified, they thought themselves as more educated than others, 'we know everything' kind of attitudes. What hurts me here to tell about them is they were always involved in writing the copies of the law, studying it very carefully not even missing an iota and the comma. After studying so much of the law they missed the Messiah, if we have an attitude like I am the most holy and I know everything, hundred percent chances are that we are going to miss the Lord Jesus Christ. They only read and copied and never tried to know the law. Because Jesus said the law points to me.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost, he came to search the lost. If you think you are holy without Jesus, without the help of the Holy Spirit, you miss the great joy of the salvation.
Ex. There was one brother who was very excitingly telling us how he met few people on the road and was listening to them telling about God. Then I interrupted, said, brother you need to be really careful when you meet such people on the streets, then he started shouting at me, you are not happy with anyone, you always say they are wrong, it is wrong. I just said one thing only to him, I don't know whom you met, I really don't know who they were, did they mention anything about Jesus? Then he said, no. I told him there are vultures and hungry lions waiting to devour us, we need to be very careful whom you are listening on the streets. Old is the saying 'Wolves are in a sheep cloths', but I say 'dynasors are in a sheep cloths but we are not recognising them'. We know only how to argue with pastors, and church members who are trying to to teach us the right way. We are trying to please all the heresies people or false teachings but never wanted to be corrected in the right way.
The problem with these groups was and by the way there are few more groups also mentioned like Sadducees but they were all like the same 'we know, you don't have to tell, we are so and so in the society and in the temple.
Matthew 13:55-57
[55]Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
[56]And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”
[57]So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”
you being son of carpenter we know about you and your family very well don't teach us. They were full of pride, hypocrisy.
They always came with the preoccupied knowledge, knowledge of their previous practices, faith and beliefs. This is what happens when we come with preoccupied knowledge the new knowledge very difficult to enter. Even if Jesus is teaching you directly, if you are sitting in front of him that you are already holy, you know Bible so well, even Jesus cannot help.
Our phones are the best example. Our phones have got some capacity say like 32 GB ROM, 64 GB ROM or 128 or 250 GB, there is capacity your phone is built with. When you want to enter new things they cannot enter. You have to delete the junk files that are occupying your memory. Many of us are filled with junk files, files with our old traditions, practices, beliefs, unforgivenes, grudge, if you want to start afresh please delete, start your journey afresh. Prepare for the new knowledge.
Apart from these religious groups there were few groups in common people also.
3) There are people who always come for the signs and the miracle.
Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
John 6:2
Because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased; so that it was not for the sake of his doctrine, or for the good of their souls, they followed him; but either to gratify their curiosity in seeing his miracles, or to be healed in their bodies, as others had been.
Jesus ministry for these people were like some kind of magic, he walks on water, raises the dead, deaf hear, demons are cast, feeds five thousand with five loaves and two fish. These kind of people are still in the churches, for them every time miracles should happen, some dramas should take place, some entertainment should happen, word of God and serious teaching is so much of boring. We need to grow dear brothers and sisters, how long do we just cry over things we don't have? How long we ask Jesus to do this and do that? When will you give time for your spiritual growth? When will you be serious about listening the message? All these people who came, came just for the entertainment. They were not with him when he was needed them, even today people are with this mentality. They always want dramas and entertainment to happen, and to please such people many church leaders started spending lot of money on the rock music, decorating the church like movie theatre or like a club.
Once we had attended a church along with our group it was bit big in size so we went in two cars, the worship was such a long that we didn't realise when the pastor had completed the message and to our surprise within no time after the worship we could hear the benediction and the service was got over. We were wondering, when did the pastor preach the sermon? And what did he preach? No clue, this is what happens, when you try to please everyone in the church. Apart from word of the Lord, you want to do every other things but not the word of the Lord. Such church members will jump from churches to churches, crusades to crusades, pastors to pastors, they will not be settling in one place.
4) People with materialistic blessings
Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
John 6:26?-?27
These people are also like same as the group who seeks signs all the times. How the Pharisees and Subscribes were like twins these people are like twins.
Openly they come for the materialistic blessings. I am hundred percent confident and I believe that Jesus will fulfill your desires, but before that have you denied yourself? Have you denied your lusts? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? If yes, then you will run after the righteousness and the Kingdom of God and not after the materialistic blessings. James says we don't have because we don't ask and if at all we ask we ask in lust and greed.
James 4:2-3
[2]You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
[3]You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Stop following Jesus because he performs miracles and signs, I agree and I don't deny that Jesus Christ is same yesterday, today and forever. Miracles and signs and wonders were the part of the gospel, they themselves are not the gospel. Gospel is Jesus came, crucified, died, and resurrected on the third day. This is the complete gospel. You come to Christ by confessing this.
When miracles always there was crowd but when teaching no one stayed with Jesus. That is why today's churches in stead of entertaining members we should focus on the word to check who are fruitful listeners and who are unfruitful listeners.
Since they only came for signs and wonders, after feeding five thousand men with only five loaves and two fish. Jesus started explaining that he's the bread from heaven, see what happened.
John 6:60?, ?66
Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
John 8:47
He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Their god is just they themselves, their bellies, their families. Not God.
Who has ears to hear let him hear.
2) The fruitful listeners
Under this only his disciples the true believers come. There is only one good soil is mentioned.
The good listeners are the good soil, the listeners who are prepared, prepared every Sunday as new. Not as traditions but out of love. They prepare for Sunday from Monday itself not on Sunday morning, which cloths to wear, how much offering to put. They come with Bible and note books, not distracted or disturbed because they have tamed their ears, they are focused.
They are not there for miracles, they are there for their souls, for their families, their spiritual life.
They are thirst, thirst after righteousness, hungry for God and messages. Sundays are not burdens rather it's their joy. They are striving that their names to be written in the book of life.
The benefits of hearing God's word.
a) You are fruitful, fruitful according to your capacity.
Jesus expects us to be fruitful, in our spiritual life, in our family and in our church.
b) There is healing in listening God's word.
Yes, you heard it right, no healing in any prophet, preachers, evangelist or any person, there is healing only in Jesus and in his words. Because they cure you from within, they remove fear from, they give you peace.
Matthew 13:15
[15]For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’
Psalms 107:20
[20]He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
There is healing and deliverance in Jesus' words. Listen carefully, attentively and practically.
b) There is Eternal life in his teachings.
John 6:66?-?69
Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Our reason to come to church should be to listen God's word because in them is hidden the mysteries of the eternal life. And you come to church to believe Jesus Christ the Son of the living God.
If you pay attention and practice you already have what you are looking for.
Conclusion
- Never come to church thinking I am holy
- Never come to church thinking I know everything.
- Empty your pre occupied junk files, remember the example of phone.
- Listen to the true preachers of the Bible. Instead of listening whom you don't know, listen to these podcasts.
- Above physical healings or signs and wonders come to listen God's word.
- Every Sunday come with preparedness of listening God's word and for believing Jesus the Christ
- Be very quick to listen and be very slow to speak.
- Last and the important one, after every Sunday's message or service just go home and ponder how you can apply the message.
