Jesus said, "Seeing, they do not see!" which makes one wonder if they had two eyes in their face or two ice cubes (Mt 13:13).

One day, Jesus spoke about a sower to the multitudes.  At the end of the parable, He said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"(Mt 13:9).  In chapter 13:1-23, He taught people about how to hear.  In the fifteen verses (vv 9-23), He mentions 'hearing' seventeen times! In Luke 8:8, we read that after sharing with the people about the Parable of the Sower, He "cried: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
 

During the days of Jesus, it was hearing.  People used to listen to the sermon in the Synagogues.  If the baby cried or someone talked and he was distracted, he lost that matter spoken by the preacher at that time.  He could not stop the preacher and ask him to repeat it.  It was gone forever.  Why?  Because none of the common people had the expensive handwritten copy of the Scriptures.  When Jesus was speaking to the crowd, the same was the case. 

Today if you miss something, the internet is within touching distance.  If Jesus were on earth today, He'd have said, "He who has eyes, let him read." If we did not catch anything while hearing, we can anytime go to the Bible or Youtube and refer.  That's why Jesus warned the crowd listening to Him to be attentive so as not to miss the vital truths. 

The disciples wanted to know why Jesus spoke in parables.  One has to meditate on the parable and deduce the meaning.  Why not straightaway explain the truth?  (Mt 13:13-15).  So Jesus explained to them the contrast between some people and the disciples.  It was not given them to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.  It would be like blowing the trumpet in a deaf man's ears (v 13).  So Jesus spoke to them in parables because they heard (or read), but nothing was going inside them.  It was as good as not hearing (or reading).  They heard (or read), but it went through the other ear and did not go down to the heart, the seat of understanding.  That's what Isaiah prophesied (6:9,10).  The understanding part of it was totally blocked.  So Jesus added, "He who hears the word and understands it," would bear fruit ( Mt 13:23). 

Then Jesus said, "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears, for they hear" (Mt 13:16).  The disciples were keenly observing whatever was happening and keenly listening to whatever Jesus was teaching.  They understood, or at least tried to understand what they heard.  So Jesus readily explained to them (vv 16-18). 

Jesus said, "...for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Mt 13:17).  David, Isaiah or Jeremiah would have loved to have a copy of the Bible in their hands.  They would have loved to step into the time of Jesus and be with Him at least for a few hours, if not for a few days.  But that privilege was not given them. 

Do you realise the awesome privilege we are enjoying, having the Bible in our hands and reading it whenever we want?  To whom much is given, much shall be asked. We have to answer God and give account for the privileges we enjoy.
                                               

Four types of Hearing

1.  Hears (or reads) but doesn't understand (v 19). 

This is the person who reads the Bible casually and makes no effort to understand what he just read.  One day while traveling by train, I took out my Bible and laid it on my berth.  A Christian lady came hurriedly, took the Bible with my consent, opened it, and read for a few minutes.  She then closed the Bible, returned it to me with thanks, and with a hand on her chest and walked away.  She was satisfied that she had read the Bible for the day.  But what did she get out of it?  Many Christians are like this, cursory readers.  They read their  Bibles like the Taj-Express, which zips from Delhi to Agra and back in a single day. These are the ones who hear or read and do not understand it.  Once you don't understand, the wicked one is too quick to take away what was sown in your heart.

2.  Hears (or reads) but doesn't take root (v 20,21).

This is the person who enthusiastically reads the Bible.  He also puts it into practice.  But then problems creep up.  He may be mocked as a holy, holy fellow. Or expected to run with the crowd.  He wanted to give more to the poor, but the family wanted to spend on luxury.  He expected a welcome but ended up with rejection.  He could not stand the treatment meted out to him because the word he read did not go deep enough to take strong roots.  He withered away and forgot about what he read. 

Many of us are like that.  We read, take decisions but not take an effort to stick to it or remember it. Our enthusiasm for God and His word are short-lived.

3.  Hears (or reads), but the thorns in his life do not allow the seeds to grow to fruit bearing stage (v 22). 

He reads alright.  But once he closes the Bible and walks off, his thoughts are hijacked by money matters and worries of the world.  Mark adds, 'the desire for other things '(4:18).  His priority is not the word.  He needs to go to the bank, make a deposit, fill up forms, calculate the interest, invest in some profitable schemes, consult some business people, and juggling several problems at once.  He is worried about the stock market and the second house he is building.   Then he has to go and pay someone under the table to put his son through college.  His thumbs are seldom far from his iPhone, tapping out emails and texts all hours of the day.  He has no time to think about the Bible because it demands emotional labour and investment. So the word doesn't bear fruit. 

Many of us feel pulled in all directions, either by the ping of our mobile or the whistle of the pressure cooker.  Women do not like to miss their favourite TV serial.  Our love for the Book must override everything else.

4.  He hears (or reads) and bears fruit (v 23).

He received the seed on good ground.  He was eager to know and so concentrated on what he read.  He also was mocked by his partner that he kept on reading the Bible but did not live up to it.  Yet he was not discouraged.  He also had cares of the world.  He had to earn his living and put his children in school, and care for his family.  But he set a time for worldly cares so that they won't choke the word. He was not a man in a hurry. He didn't care for his mobile if it buzzed during his meditation. He also did not understand, but made an effort to understand.  He applied his heart, spent time and understood, and gave fruit.  The more he read, the more he evolved, and a new person started taking shape.  His life gradually changed over the years.  Luke 8:15 says that he bore fruit with patience.  Yes, it took a long, long time for him to understand the truth fully, put it to practice, overcome failures, and finally give fruit. 

No pain, no gain.  What made this man tick?  His love to hear God's voice.
Let's see some people, and how they reacted to the word--

1.  The Pharisees (Luke 16:14).

 "The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard these things, and they derided Him." Jesus' teaching was ridiculous to them.  "Also" means others were also there listening to Jesus.  Each reacted in a different way.  But those who decided to cling to their sins cared the least for the word.  The word did not impact them.  They justified their sins saying, "We cannot live in this world like this. God is gracious.  After all, what have we done?  Everybody does it. This is too high a standard for us." etc, etc. 

If you belong to that category, you are lost without hope.  The axe is laid at your root.  If you do not bear good fruit, you will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 

2.  Many disciples (John  6:60).

"Many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" These were going steady, but at a certain point decided to drop out.  "From that time many of His disciples went back" (v 66).  Not a few but many. 

It is the same today.  'Many', when they find it hard to understand, just give up and are satisfied with just reading without understanding.  They did not realise that the Bible was written for the man on the street.  Note: "They went back and walked with Him no more " (v 66).  How sad!  So long they were walking with Jesus.  Now, because they did not understand His words, their walk with Jesus came to an abrupt stop. 

 This is the case with many disciples of Jesus, even today.  They don't spend sufficient time with their Bibles and go astray.  They read superficially, hastily, without paying close attention to details.  They skim through the text quickly without thoroughness, often missing important nuances. They stumble and walk with Jesus no more. 

The interesting part is verse 67.  "Then Jesus asked the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?' But Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.' " Where did the 'many' disciples go? Nobody knows.  But we know the end of His close disciples.  Once you stop giving the word of God its due place in your life, you are lost.  If they had asked Jesus to explain to them, He would have done that.  But they closed that chapter of their life.  Remember, you don't need proficiency to understand the Bible.

Do not make this grave error.  If you do not understand, ask someone, refer to Study Bibles, meditate deeper.  Even then, if the passage intrigues you, it's ok.  Just make your best effort. You will understand it at a later date.

3. Reader's not doers (Rom 2:13).

"Not the hearers of the Law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the Law will be justified." There are those who are scholars in the Bible.  They read, they understand, they revel in their knowledge, they are excited over the revelation they receive.  But when it comes to obedience, they stumble.  They are unable to bow their heads before the word of God and allow God to deal with them.  Verse 23 says you dishonour God by breaking His commandments.  Reading the Bible too much and not applying it to life will give you a big head and a lean spirit. 

This is what Jesus said in the Parable of the Sower: "He hears the word and understands it, he indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Mt 13:23).

Reading the Bible and understanding it should not lead us to puffed-up knowledge, but as the Lord says,  to trembling (Isaiah 66:2).  Once the fear of God raises the voice of your conscience, it will lead to obedience. Let its laser-like eyes see right into you through flesh, bones, and all. If your Bible study leads to obedience, you will walk with Jesus.  If you walk with Jesus,  you will bring forth fruit hundredfold!

Paying attention to details can make a difference.  I will give you an example of how you can expand your understanding while meditating.  Now I am meditating the conversion of Saul.  I have read many times how he got letters from the high priest (Acts 9:1,2). This time I thought of finding out who this high priest was.  I found out that this was the Caiphas who lived in a palace (Mt 26:3).  It was this Caiaphas who prophesied, being the high priest of the year, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people,  and not the whole nation should perish" (Jn 11:49-52).  So he was the one who suggested that better Jesus be killed.  From Gethsemane, Jesus was taken to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas (Jn 18: 13,14,23).  It was Caiaphas who decided, along with others, that Jesus be put to death (Mt 27:1).  It was he who severely threatened and commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:6,16,17).  It was he who put the apostles in prison (5:17,18).  It was from this man that Saul got the letters. 

A tingle went over me.  My heart thumped with excitement.  My understanding suddenly burst forth.  I soaked in everything with the wonder of a child in fairyland.  I wrote a model letter of Caiaphas: From...To whom it may concern...Signed: Caiaphas.

Incidentally, if you freely download an English Study Bible, you get the concordance.  You type 'Caiaphas' and get all the references.  You can also use an electronic Bible in which you can pick up combination of words. 

I looked into Google for the distance between Jerusalem and Damascus (314 km).  I referred to the map to check where Damascus was.  I had a clearer picture now.  It breathed new life into my meditation.  For six decades, I have sat with my Bible wonder-stricken.  The Bible is a masterpiece that takes 4000 years of history into its sweep.

Not writing down is a major culprit when it comes to meditation.  If you don't write it down, it is lost; and that's a shame.  Cursory reading hardly helps.  Most believers do not have the habit of writing down their meditation, making it easy for the devil to snatch away the seed from their. hearts.  How then do you expect to remember? Have a meditation diary.  Write down your everyday meditation. By writing down, you bury the seed deep inside your heart, making it easy to remember.

Jesus spoke about hearing and doing.  Whoever hears (or reads) and does is wise (Mt 7:26).  Whoever hears (or reads) and does not do is a fool (v 26).  Luke 6:49 says, "He who hears and does nothing." Simply reading your Bible takes you nowhere.  The more you labour, the more will be given to you (Mk 4:23-25).  You get more revelation.  If not, even what you have will be taken away from you (Mt 18:12; Lk 8:18).  You need to make a change sooner or later and become an astute reader.

We always think people came to Jesus for healing.  Read the following verses:

Mark 12:37-"And the common people heard Him gladly."

Luke 5:15-"Great multitudes came together to hear..."

6:17-"A great  multitude of people  from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him..."

15:1-All the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him."

19:48- "All the people were very attentive to hear Him."

21:38-"Early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him."

Do you understand the thirst of people who came to hear even without their breakfast? Jesus said, "My mother and brothers are these who hear (or read) the word of God and do it" (Lk 8:21 - parentheses mine).  Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word and Jesus said, "One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (10:39,42).  On that great Judgement Day, the queen of the South will charge those who treat the word of God lightly, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here (Lk 11:31).  We are mesmerized by the Wisdom Words of Solomon.  Behold, the words of the Greater-than-Solomon is in our hands.  Are we eager to read that wisdom? 

Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
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  lilianstanley@gmail.com

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