He who has ears, let him hear
Jesus opens His parables in Matthew 13 with the parable of the sower. If you recall, the sower sows seeds that fall in various places. These places help to determine what sort of harvest will be produced. Seed that fell on the path got eaten up by birds. Seed that fell in the rocky ground sprang up quickly because of the warmth provided by the shallow soil, but that same sun destroyed them on a hot day because of a lack of roots. Still other seed fell amongst thorns. These seeds found themselves choked out, unable to get the nutrients they needed. Lastly, the seed that fell in the good soil produced a great return, coming to maturity and doing as God created them to do.
Jesus tells this story, packed full of meaning, and ends with these simple words: “he who has ears, let him hear.”
These words shed light on this truth: we should take note of what kind of soil we have in our hearts. The kind of soil that we have in our hearts is not fixed. It can be plowed, weeded, watered, irrigated, etc. To sit back and accept whatever condition our heart is in is to refuse the responsibility that has echoed throughout the invitation of Jesus: repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Jesus invites us to pause long enough to hear His words and to allow them to transform our lives. In doing so, we will see the soil of our heart change into a place where His words can produce much harvest. The issue of the people of Jesus’s day is the same as the issue of our day: there are many distractions that keep us from pausing long enough to hear.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to silent your soul to hear His words. Perhaps God wants you to allow some word that He has spoken to you to penetrate the soil of your heart and take root. Maybe it’s time to reject the idea that “this is just how I am,” and it’s time to embrace your ability to hear His transforming words.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 334-337, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 13:3-9) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).