Gene’s Daily Scriptural Postings. Reflective Bible Study.
Hearing with Ears: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Focus Passage: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 (NIV)One of the oddest and potentially most humorous things I believe Jesus could say comes at the close of one of His most famous parables. After finishing sharing the parable of the farmer scattering seed, Jesus makes the final remark, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (v. 9) On one hand, this statement pushes those present to pay attention, but on the other hand, not all ears are equal. Some people can hear better, while other people are completely deaf. In this statement, is Jesus actually discriminating against those who might be deaf or hard of hearing, or is this a statement Jesus says to cause a big “group” healing so that everyone within listening distance would then have their hearing restored to 100% for the remainder of His message? This statement is odd in my mind because if Jesus wanted the people to pay attention, He simply could have said, “Pay attention. This is important.” If this was a statement of healing, it would truly be unique because every other healing Jesus did was on a personal level. Also, none of the gospel writers include a statement following this that would/could prompt the thought that this prompted a miracle. The way this statement sounds is humorous in my mind – and that may be why Jesus said it. It sticks out because everyone has ears, and because you and I have ears, we should hear what Jesus wants to tell us. But like I alluded to before, what about those who may have been deaf who were present? If this event was like many of the others Jesus experienced, Jesus healed first and taught second. If someone arrived late and Jesus had already started teaching, He would pause what He was saying to heal the individual. Because of this, I would be surprised if any people were left in the crowd who were deaf. There may have been some people who used to be deaf, or who happened to have been deaf that morning prior to coming to see Jesus, and if that was the case, this parable would be among the first things they would hear following their healing. Reading Jesus’ statement pushes me to a deeper truth that Jesus helped before He taught. Jesus met people’s needs before sharing deeper about God. This challenges me to be more intentional about meeting people where they are and helping them on a personal level before trying to teach or challenge their spiritual growth. This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today! Read this article on the web on it's official page: Hearing with Ears: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23