Ears to Hear

Matthew 13:1–9 CSB

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown. 9 Let anyone who has ears listen.”

A crowd has formed in front of Jesus expecting a teaching and maybe some healing.

This isn't a new thing thus far in Matthew's telling of Jesus' life, but Jesus does something different this time.

He tells a story about a farmer sowing seed. We assume it was a farmer, since no specifics are given.

The farmer shows this seed on 4 very different patches of ground and, as a result, there are 4 very different outcomes to which Jesus shares.

And then He finishes the "sermon" with "He who has ears, let him hear."

You might be thinking "I wish Jeremy preached short sermons like that."

But you should be thinking (suspending your knowledge of Jesus explanation of the parable in the later verses) "What the heck are you talking about Jesus? That was like a cryptic message no one could understand."

And you would join with his disciples who ask him that very question.

Matthew 13:10–17 CSB

10 Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. 15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back— and I would heal them. 16 “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.

Why would Jesus change the way he taught so dramatically?

A reminder of context would be helpful.

For some time now Jesus has been traveling around Judea and Samaria, preaching, teaching, and healing.

Thus far, His teaching has been clear and direct, only using stories and parables to illustrate what he is teaching.

Many people have heard Him, came looking for Him,.and began to follow Him, and only a few had much issue with what he was saying and doing.

then in chapter 11, His most loyal follower, and cousin, John begins to doubt and question.

Then, in chapter 12, Jesus faces an onslaught of opposition from multiple angles.

There is a growing sense that the temperature around Jesus is starting to change.

So the way Jesus communicates also begins to change

Jesus responds to His disciples question with a description of 2 different groups:

those with ears- those who hear and receive the message about His kingdom coming and His offer of salvation

and those without- those who refuse to hear what He is saying and receive Him for who He is.

And though it might be surprising to the disciples, Jesus assures them that these reactions are to be expected.

God revealed to the prophets that this would be the case.

They have seen the miracles, heard the teaching, but they refuse to believe Jesus is the one they have been waiting for.

This opening parable is a description of the ways people have responded to Jesus and His message thus far, and how they (and we) will respond in the future.

Jesus is diagnosing the condition of the hearts of those who are seeing what He is doing and hearing what He is saying.

This parable is often called the “Parable of the Sower” and there is some truth to that.

Jesus is the sower (and those of us who follow Him to bring the message to those who do not yet know).

The sower is key to the story obviously.

But the sower and the seed are constants, meaning they are the same regardless of the soil.

The only variable (thing that changes) are the 4 different types of soil the seed falls onto.

These soils represent the heart conditions of those who hear the Word of Jesus (the Gospel).

They represent us, and they are intended to lead us to examine the condition of our hearts toward Jesus and His message.

In a sense, they serve both as a test and a warning.

Matthew 13:18–23 CSB

18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”

How will you hear the message of Jesus?

There is a temptation to read ourselves out of the story as we read the bible.

Looking at Jesus’ explanation of the 4 soils and thinking, “I am not sure I fit into any of these descriptions.”

But you would be mistaken. Everyone of us falls somewhere within these soils, maybe even progressing through them as the message of Jesus is presented to us again and again.

But we all fall somewhere.

It is important to note here that every one of the categories of people hear the Word, but the way they respond is the test of the condition of their heart.

1) With a HARD Heart

The first soil, along the path, Jesus explains, represents the person to hears the Word of the Kingdom, but doesn’t understand it.

I am no gardener, but I understand the image Jesus is giving here.

A seed needs to sink into soil in order for it to grow.

Otherwise it just becomes dinner for the crows.

Jesus points to 2 factors that prevent His message from penetrating the hard soil.

“On the one hand, Satan is to blame, for like a hungry bird he “comes and snatches away what has been sown” (v. 19). On the other hand, the only reason Satan can consume such seed is because the seed never went below the surface; it stayed atop the hard ground.” — Douglas Sean O’Donnell

Spiritual warfare (the influence of the Evil One) and human hardheartedness are why the message of Jesus doesn’t penetrate the hearts of many.

You know people like this, who have heard the message of Jesus that changed your life, but it seems to go in one ear and out the other in them.

Maybe there is an intellectual interest, but it never moves any further than that.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18

1 Corinthians 1:18 CSB

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.

There are many who hear the Gospel and yet it remains a foolish message that fails to move their hearts to faith.

This was the condition of our hearts along our journey toward faith.

It has possibly been your heart, so it is my prayer that maybe today, that hardness begins to soften and you begin to see the truth and beauty of Jesus’ invitation.

2) With a SHALLOW Heart

The second soil, sown among the rocks, represents the person who hears the Word and initially shows a great desire and excitement about salvation and following Jesus.

But when faith becomes hard and following Jesus demands more than they are willing to give, there joy and excitement fades away.

The initial joy of coming to faith is followed by the challenges of what others might think about our new found faith.

Or the reality that following Jesus calls us to a different way of life.

Leaving behind some things in order to pursue what God has deemed as better.

And it is here that the rootless faith begins to whither and fall away.

A few weeks ago we read about a man who enthusiastically came to Jesus, eager to follow Him where ever He went.

But Jesus told the man “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

Jesus understood that the man hadn’t really counted the cost of following Him.

He loved the idea of it, but didn’t understand that it wasn’t an easy road.

Tim Keller says “They wanted Jesus to bless their kingdom, rather than coming into His. They wanted a blesser, not a savior.”

Jesus is warning us to not hear His message with a shallow heart.

You can be really receptive to Jesus saving you from hell and want nothing to do with following Him and walking in his ways.

You see, you cannot profess Christ, and then fail to grow in Him, for God’s plan is for those who have embraced Him to grow in Him.

And if you are indifferent to the word of truth and to the changing power of the gospel, then you are indifferent to Christ Himself.

Instead, may our faith grow deep roots and grow strong.

3) With a DIVIDED Heart

The third soil is by far the most challenging.

Unlike the first two soils, the third soil doesn’t fall ways, it doesn’t prevent the seed from sinking in, and roots are able to grow.

But the defining characteristic is fruitlessness.

Because of the worries of the world and the overemphasis on money and stuff, the word that was planted, that grew into faith, is choked out and keeps it from producing fruit.

The fruit that Jesus has in mind isn’t measurable acts of religious duty or service.

It is the fruit of a transformed heart, a new mind, and a new way of life.

It is what Paul speaks about in Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit.

A growing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

And it is the fruit of a growing relationship with Jesus.

The difficulty is in determining whether this soil represents someone who is a Christian, or someone who professes to be a Christian, but isn’t really.

In other words: is fruitfulness a sign of genuine saving faith, or can someone be a non-fruit bearing disciple of Jesus?

Honestly, my answer is: I don’t know.

Taking into account all that Jesus has said thus far in the Gospel of Matthew, the entirety of His Sermon on the Mount, it is hard to reconcile someone professing faith in Jesus and yet their lives looking so similar than those who do not profess faith in Him.

And yet, is it possible for someone to know Christ, to trust Him for salvation, and yet be so distracted by the worries of the world and so obsessed with making something of their life here on earth that they are missing out on the joys of knowing and following Jesus?

The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said:

“Though you may be a Christian, unable to fall off the the boat of salvation heading toward heaven, you can fall on the boat, break all your bones, and spend the whole trip in the infirmity.” — Charles Spurgeon

What a miserable trip that would be.

But is that what Jesus is talking about in the third soil?

A life so riddles with anxiety of worldly pursuits, and so distracted by the lure of worldly accomplishments?

I honestly go back and forth, but what is certain is this is not the way Jesus desires for us.

And it isn’t the way that leads to the joy and satisfaction of a fruitful faith.

4) With a FRUITFUL Heart

Though we have spent much time looking at the three soil that represent the wrong ways to hear the message of Jesus.

But it seems Jesus’s focus was on the last soil.

This is the soil that isn’t too hard for the seed of God’s Word to find a healthy place to rest.

It is a soil that is deep and allows for roots to grow strong and study.

And it is a soil free from weeds and thorns, allowing what is planted to grow and produce a crop far greater than anyone could even imagine.

The good hearer, who is neither hard nor shallow nor self-indulgent, welcomes the word immediately so it cannot be snatched away by Satan, welcomes it deeply so it is not withered by persecution, and welcomes it exclusively so other concerns do not strangle it. — Douglas Sean O’Donnell

Psalm 1:1–3 CSB

1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! 2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

we just sang the word “all to Jesus I surrender” that is a heart planted in good soil.

where is your heart this mornin.