Hear! Hear!

Hear! Hear!

Mark 4:9 AMPC

[9] And He said, He who has ears to hear, let him be hearing [and let him consider, and comprehend].

The verse above comes up in the early part of the earthly ministry of Jesus. He had chosen His disciples, and by this time, a few miracles were already done. Jesis was both popular and hated by so many people, depending on who you were speaking to at that moment. He had a crowd following Him everywhere He went. However, one thing stood out in all His teachings and engagements: He would speak about the standards of the kingdom of which he was Lord, and which He had come to make known to the people. The message about the kingdom was quite central, and we see it in the chapter from which the verse above is taken. Jesus used pictoral representations in parables to teach both His disciples and the crowd that followed Him everywhere about what was required from all who would be a part of the kingdom. As it was then, so is it now. The expectations have not changed, and the standards have not been lowered. 

Same God, same kingdom, same message. The parable of the power and the mustard seed laid out in this same chapter teaches us about the right response to the infallible and indefatigable Word of God. There is no doubt about the impact and capacity of the Word of God to cause change, but there is a power given to man to define what he wants, how he wants it, and when he wants it. Man cannot control God's timing, but he has been given the power to choose how to respond to God's dealings. In every generation or dispensation, God has consistently sent reminders and pointers to His power and might, but He does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of your freewill. He wants man to come to Him of his freewill, because man has seen love like no other. If I am compelled, it is likely that when the choice comes to walk away when things get tough, I will definitely walk away. It has to come from my heart if it will last. 

This is the power of the message of the verse above. Just after the verse above, Jesus goes further to charge His disciples to be careful of what they hear. He made it clear that the measure of thought and study that you give to the truth you hear will also be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you. This means that I have a duty to be careful of what I allow to make an impression upon my heart. My ears are one of the channels by which an impact can be made. Is it not quite interesting that Jesus also says: He who has an ear should hear, and also be subject to constant hearing so that he can understand what God's demands are. This is important for all who seek God's style of impact: God is always speaking. He makes His will clear, and one day soon, all of us will give an account of what we have done with His instructions. May I not end up in judgement. God's time of favour is here.