Physical Hearing Is Not The Same As Spiritual Hearing

Matthew 13:11-13 -  He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see.  They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

 

The crowd that gathered to hear him teach that day was so large that he used a boat moored on the beach as a platform. He told story after story that gave illustrations of the Kingdom of God that He had been sent to begin. Used soil…weeds…yeast…the tiny mustard seed…pearls…treasure chests…and fishing nets to try and explain the many complicated aspects of the way good and evil existed together in the world until the end. But though many were there to hear…very few understood the full meaning of his stories.

 

His stories reminded us of several things. The world contains good and evil together because God is not going to separate them out until His final coming.  He taught that the tiniest of hearts can become the grandest of believers….and that one good person can influence a multitude of people who haven’t made up their mind. And most importantly….If we are fortunate to find the treasure that is God’s love we need to pour everything we have into using that treasure to strengthen our faith.

 

He ended with a deep statement that these important concepts would not be understood by all who hear them. He referenced the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10….telling His disciples that they were seeing the fulfillment of it as he spoke to them that day.   Physical hearing is simply not the same as spiritual hearing. Our lives must be prepared …be the fertile soil in His parable. We must study…. and pray…. and keep our tiny hearts humble and ever ready to accept what He tells us is the truth…so we can grow in His love and be one of the grand mustard plants that overcomes the weeds and evil of the world.

 

It is a great reminder to me to always ask God to open up my mind and heart before I begin to read and study His word each night. It is a reminder that perhaps my simple… “help me Lord” might need to be changed to a more formal prayer each morning as I rise to blog what he lays on my heart.  I never want the routine of writing to take more importance than the reason He asked me to do this in the first place. I want to always be open to understand everything He embedded in the Bible to help me be the most that I can be for Him. I admit that my thoughts these last few nights…. that these chapters in Matthew are take so long and require more words of notes… could decrease my full understanding of all that He needs me to understand of Matthew’s writings.

 

 

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that every word you placed in your Bible is an importance piece of how I am to live my life for you alone. Forgive me for even having thoughts that I could take shortcuts and still get all that you need me to soak up from your word. Keep using life to fertilize and prepare me for what you have ahead….those good plans that will prosper me and keep the hope that you give me filling my heart…prompting me to keep building faith stronger and stronger. Amen.