“Hearing Ears” – MARK 4:1-9

Can you imagine reading this passage and realizing for the first time that Jesus just called you “dirt”? He did. Does that offend you?

It should not if you actually listen to what He means. That was the challenge Jesus faced at this point in His ministry, getting people to actually accept and digest His teaching. To grasp what he means, not just hear what He says. So, He teaches using dirt, rocks, thorns and roadbeds. Even to this day people misconstrue His teaching, choosing to warp His words instead of taking them to heart. For those who would actually listen (Mark 4:9), they could take what they understood in daily life and use it to unlock deep spiritual truth.

Jesus began to teach them in parables (Mark 4:2).

A vital component to effective communication is listening. I do not mean simply having your ears function as God designed them, since the gospel is preached to the deaf as well as the hearing. A concept eloquently spoken into an empty cavern does not communicate anything because it was not heard. Sometimes we get the impression that Jesus felt like He was speaking into dark nothingness.

The Word of God (John 1:1) had spoken the universe into existence, informed people of the Divine expectations and watched as mankind fell and wandered. Now He has taken on the form of a man and speaks to them directly. His greatest desire is to save and in order to save He must communicate with the hearts and minds of receptive people. Many had been hearing His teaching (Mark 4:1), but how many were listening. Jesus turned to the parables to force some intellectual interaction with His audience.

At this point we realize that Peter and the others are walking with Jesus and listening, but some of the things Jesus says to them is just not taking root. Peter wants to “get it”. Proof of this is in the mere fact that he continues walking with Jesus. He could have gone home. Do you ever feel like giving up on spiritual things because you don’t think you “get it”? Look to Peter and see a man who overcame his doubts, fears and think-headedness. He was good dirt.

The Word of God challenges us, just as God intended. Instead of creating creatures with a full data base of knowledge and pre-programmed to act only within the confines of that knowledge, people were created with brains that needed to be filled and free will. Still, the Bible challenges us and is not a simple “1., 2., 3.” for us to use a s a checklist for success.

Pause for a moment to consider our options here. Either God is an effective communicator and desires us to strive for understanding, or He is an ineffective communicator and His word cannot be understood. A third option is that God has deliberately sown confusion in His Word.

Too many are too willing to write God off and accept the notion that people interpret Scripture differently because God made it impossible to understand.

Too many are too willing to accept that confusion is an acceptable byproduct of religion.

Peter was a simple, essentially uneducated fisherman. There were times when he was confused, but he realized God did not intentionally confused things. There were times he did not understand, but he realized God effectively communicates and people need to think through things until we understand.

Jesus said it all comes down to rocks, dirt, roadways, and thorns.

The problem is NOT with the seed, it’s with the soil.