Sometimes changing our approach to a routine task or activity is a good thing, even though it might feel a bit awkward. I’m experiencing that awkward feeling right now because I’m about to take a slight sidestep out of my customary approach when I begin a new post. Normally, I sort of work my way into whatever topic or subject that I intend to comment on, but today I feel compelled to just get right into it, so here we go … 

A Provocative Comment ~
In his magnificent letter to the Church in Rome, the Apostle Paul made a comment about faith that brought to mind a unique and rather peculiar sounding phrase that Jesus used repeatedly. It’s found no less than 15 times in the New Testament. And as many have pointed out, if Jesus only said something once, it deserves our attention, but if God chose to reinforce it 15 times, we’d be wise not to disregard it. But first we should point out the comment Paul made that led us in this direction to begin with. In reference to the faith that ensures forgiveness and eternal redemption, Paul said this: 

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 NKJV)

 Among the many implications in this profound statement, Paul declares that the transformational, life-infusing faith that Jesus calls us to doesn’t just happen. It’s based on a specific body of beliefs – and it has a point of origin. According to the Apostle Paul, redemptive faith begins with hearing. That word obviously includes exposure to what the living God has revealed about Himself and what a personal relationship with Him requires, but it suggests more than that. It suggests faith that imparts life, defines love, inspires hope, and radiates joy and peace. It’s definitely not a “one and done” proclamation that grants us a prepaid ticket to Heaven when we die. 

Hearing Is Vital ~
Jesus referred to the initial impartation of faith in Him as being “born again,” which illustrates an event that marks the beginning of new life. Births bring a new identity, new relationships, and come with the expectation of ongoing growth and development. All that sounds wonderful, but we mustn’t miss the fact that the hearing that Paul cites as the source of this new life is as vital to its continued growth and development as it was in its beginning. That brief admonition that our beloved Rabbi from Nazareth repeated so often was a way of highlighting and reinforcing that principle. Mark offers one example in his account of Jesus’ delivering His parable of the sower and the soils:

And He [Jesus] said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:9 NKJV)

Jesus’ brief concluding comment doesn’t sound particularly compelling on the surface. There’s no demand for adherence to a principle or compliance to any particular ordinance. There’s no warning of judgment and no threat of retribution for ignoring what He taught. It was simply a call for everyone in His audience to consider the implications of what had been said. But every Jew would have known that hearing the message that Jesus delivered implied more than having properly functioning physical ears. 

A Familiar Imperative ~
Jesus’ audience would have associated the reference to hearing with a prayer that every one of them, including Jesus Himself, repeated at least twice every day. It’s called the Shema (pronounced Sh’ma), which is the first word of the passage (Deuteronomy 6:4-6) and is translated as the word, hear. Jesus not only prayed this prayer every day throughout His personal life, but when asked which of God’s commands was the “first,” or most important. He answered by quoting the Shema. 

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29–31 NKJV)

In the Hebrew language the single word shema serves a dual purpose. It is used to refer to both hearing and obeying. To God, and to His people, to genuinely hear is to obey. So, regardless of the language Jesus was speaking when He said, He that has ears to hear, let him hear, His Jewish audience would have understood it more like this: 

“He who has a heart prepared to understand, let him ‘shema’ [obey and apply] what he has heard!”

And That Isn’t All ~
But God wasn’t done with highlighting the issue of hearing yet. There are a couple more admonitions we should consider in our exploration of this issue and our quest to determine what we followers of Jesus are to do in regard to all these admonitions about hearing. For instance, there’s a dramatic and emphatic command that God the Father delivered after Jesus’ transfiguration. Matthew records it like this:

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! (Matthew 17:5 NKJV)

And beyond that, in the personal parable Jesus used to describe Himself as a good shepherd, Jesus makes it clear that hearing (obeying) is a vital part of His relationship with us. Regarding that role, Jesus said this:

And when he [the Good Shepherd] brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice (John 10:4 NKJV)

Now, there are a few assumptions involved in understanding and applying the lessons wrapped in the sheep/shepherd relationship. They would have been lived out around Jesus’ followers every day: 

• • The Shepherd communicates. He speaks to His sheep individually, audibly, and visually. 
  • The sheep have functional eyes and ears.
  • The sheep “know” more than just His words. They know His voice [Greek, phōnḗ; i.e., His “sound”).

Bringing It Home ~
This brings us to the “here and now” question. 

• • If our capacity to hear and our willingness to apply what Jesus says is so vital, what are we to do about it here and now? 
  • If hearing His voice has such an overwhelming influence over the growth, development, and ongoing status of our relationship with Him, how do we handle it when we can’t hear His audible voice? 

The answer . . . There’s more to His speaking than the audible words. The sheep may not have been able to define any of the specific words their Shepherd used, but His sound was unmistakable. The things they saw, the things they heard, the things they felt in His presence spoke to them more powerfully than mere language could convey. 

When He was here, Jesus spoke in terms that didn’t need an Aramaic or Hebrew dictionary to understand, and He continues to do that today. The words He spoke are living and powerful and foundational to everything our lives represent, but the question confronting us is not whether we know all the words He used when He spoke here on earth. The question is whether we know His voice, and whether we have ears to hear what He’s saying to us today.

More than Words ~
Even when Jesus was traveling through towns and cities in Galilee, He was often speaking in ways that didn’t depend on words alone. The sound of His love and the power of His presence were heard in the touch of His hand. Hope was heard in the way He treated those who were broken, rejected, and despised. Joy found expression in His laughter, and the sound of peace filled the room when table fellowship included Him. Jesus spoke in how He responded to His enemies, in the ways He reacted to nature – even in times when the pain defied words.

The wonderful news is that the Risen Christ is not silent. His voice can still be heard, and if we focus our attention, if we listen, He will speak His own energizing life into us and equip us to bring love, joy, peace, truth, and forgiveness – to multitudes crying out for deliverance, and longing for peace, freedom, and hope. 

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Please join us next week as we continue this discussion by exploring some of the ways Jesus is speaking today. Let’s endeavor together to help one another fine tune our own ears to ‘hear’.

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • • “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:9 NKJV).  We must not miss the fact that the ‘hearing’ Paul cites as the source of this new birth and life is as vital to its continued growth and development as it was in its beginning. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • And He [Jesus] said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:9 NKJV).  Every Jew would have known that hearing the message that Jesus delivered implied more than having properly functioning physical ears.  @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • The sound of His love and power of His presence were heard in the touch of His hand. Hope was heard in how He treated the broken, rejected, despised. Joy found expression in His laughter. Sounds of peace filled the room when table fellowship included Him. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • The Risen Christ isn’t silent; His voice can still be heard. Focus your attention. Listen. He’ll speak His energizing life into us, equip us to bring love, joy, peace, truth and forgiveness to multitudes crying for deliverance, longing for peace, freedom, and hope. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 

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