“He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (13:9,43). That sounds like a strange saying to my ears! However, if you take it one part at a time, the meaning begins to unfold. “He who has ears to hear” is a distinguishing phrase meaning that everyone has ears but only some have “ears to hear.” Only some of the people listening to Jesus will “get” what he is saying. All will hear his teaching. Some will embrace it. So then, those who have the kind of ear that can “hear” what Jesus is saying, they are told by Jesus to really pay attention!
The huge implication and lesson here is that our ears and our eyes do not naturally, on our own, “hear” and “see.” Yes, they do “hear” and “see,” but only what can be heard and seen through fallen, fleshly, spiritually dead or dull ears and eyes. Our ears have to be opened. Our eyes have to be opened if we are too hear and see and taste and embrace and receive and joy in Christ, the Gospel, and the glory of God!
Now “hear” these texts. “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (13:11). “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (16:17). Do you “see” the pattern unfolding here? We cannot grasp the things of the Spirit on our own, in our own strength and will. In order for us to “hear” and “see,” God, in his grace, must open our ears and eyes. We must be given ears to hear and eyes to see. And then we hear and we see what we had never seen or heard before! And it is amazing and thrilling and wonderful to behold! Therefore, let us pray for God to keep our ears open as believers and for him to open the ears and eyes of those around us who have ears, but do not hear!
That's good, Pastor Wil. I'd alway read the phrase, "he who has ears to hear, let him hear" as just another way of saying, "Now, listen up!" Along the same lines as "you've got a brain, use it!" I didn't "see" a deeper meaning than that.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question for you: why so many demons? When I read Matthew's book in this fast-fast- overview way, I'm amazed at so much demonic activity. One after another, it seems. In the O.T. we have the stories of Satan/demons interacting with humans like 1) Satan in the garden, 2) Saul with his evil spirit, 3) the spirit lying through Zedekiah (I Kings 22),
4) Satan accusing Job. . . And those are about all the evil spirit/Satan stories I can think of just now. Then we get to the Gospels and they're everywhere!! Do you think that Satan and his demons were MORE active because God had come in a God/Man person to earth? Had the "stakes been raised" and that was why they were so active? Or were demons oppressing people in O.T. times too?
Second question: I'm certain that many people who are oppressed by demons today are medicated and hidden away as "psych cases." Are demons as active now as they were in Jesus' day?
Any thoughts on this? You're a busy man, don't bother answering this right away if you'd rather not.
Yes and Yes. I do believe that with God on the scene in human form, the demonic activity was boosted to a higher level. And I do believe that demonic activity still exists today, to a much lesser degree, but is often "diagnosed" as mental problems. Great question.
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