“Take care then how YOU hear…” - Luke 8:18

Can you hear an implicit truth here in this command by Christ?

If the Word incarnate instructs His earliest disciples and in turn us to take care how they hear, is it not implicit that there’s a way to hear that’s profitable, helpful, eternally rewarding and another way to hear that is just plainly not?

A Parable about hearing

This phrase from Luke’s gospel [ch.8] is again spoken in light of the parable of the sower.

When I was reflecting on this parable, I was at first quite certain the parable was about the sower. So as I read it over and over again it appeared clear to me that the final word/warning/ Jesus would offer was SURELY to the sower right?

“Therefore” I hear Jesus saying, “Take note of where you sow and how you sow, the soil has not the freedom to change its nature so it’s your job to ensure you are sowing in safe, suitable places.”

But this is not the case at all. Jesus isn't telling the parable as a lesson to sowers, but He’s educating soils; He’s speaking to hearers. This entire parable is in fact about hearing,

We observe four responses from the soils to this preaching of the Word. This equates to four kinds or types of soil. What we want to take note of is that Jesus interprets every soil explicitly as one of four ways of ‘hearing the Word’.

Verse 5 says that firstly some seed – (some Word) "fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot and the birds of the air ate it up." Then in verse 12 he interprets, "Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved." That's one kind of hearing.

Verse 6 says that "Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture." Then verse 13 interprets: "Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away." That's a second kind of hearing.

Verse 7 says that "Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out." Verse 14 interprets: "The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity." That's a third kind of hearing.

Finally, verse 8 says, "Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." And verse 15 interprets: "But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." That's a fourth kind of hearing.

Then at the end of verse 8 Jesus makes sure everyone gets the point about hearing, and he exclaims, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

It's not enough to have ears on the side of your head. Everybody has those. But there is another kind of ear that only some have, "He who has ears to hear let him hear." There is a spiritual ear, or a heart-ear.

When the Word is preached there is a type of ear that hears more than mere words. There is a beauty and a truth and a power that these ears hear as compelling, transforming and preserving. That's the kind of hearing Jesus is calling for. That's what this text is all about.

A hard truth = ‘The Word Saves Some and Hardens Some’

"He who has ears to hear let him hear."

This phrase Jesus employs is a quote from Isaiah 6:9-10 where God tells Isaiah his ministry to Israel will not only be saving for some but will also be to the hardening of others. God sid to Isaiah, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand.' Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed."

In other words, the offer of redemption which had been for so long extended to Israel, had now been revoked for these people without an ear to hear. The Word of God was no longer sent to save these hardened ones, but was only effective to render their hearts insensitive, and their ears all the more dull, and their eyes all the more dim.

John Piper summarises this point like this,

“This teaches us something very important about preaching. Even when preaching the Word of God does not soften and save and heal, it is not necessarily ineffective. This preaching of the Word may be doing God's terrible work of judgment. It may be hardening people, and making their ears so dull that they will never want to hear again. There is a judgment in this world - not just in the world to come (Romans 1:24) - and oh, how we should flee from it. Which in this text means: take heed how you hear! Don't be cavalier in the hearing of God's Word week after week. If it is not softening and saving and healing and bearing fruit, it is probably hardening and blinding and dulling (see 2 Corinthians 2:16).”

 How then should we hear?

1.     With much gratitude, how many folks would give the world and all besides just to be sitting where you sit this morning?

2.     With joy and insatiable dissatisfaction.

3.     With readiness to prove and test each statement by the word of God.

4.     With an internal analysis. Has this word been confirmed in and by your life? Or is there a cause to repent and turn back to the clear scriptural paths in a particular area?

5.     With deep thinking about possible action we can commend each point with: asking how a certain truth can be implemented in our daily life?

“Take care then how you hear…” - Luke 8:18