Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

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Jesus says this phrase 8 times, including twice in Mark 4. How can we ensure that we have ears that are ready to hear the Master's voice?

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His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 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. 13 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. 14This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so, their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them. Matthew 13:10

 

 For what man knows the things of a man except for the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:7,8,11,14).  

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📋 The "Ears to Hear" Spiritual Discernment Test

Instructions: Look honestly at how you approach scripture, correction, and the lifestyle of the Messiah to determine if your ears are truly open or if a hardened heart is tuning Him out.

Question 1: The Response to Tough Teaching

In Matthew 13:12, the Master warns: "To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given... But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away." When you come across a command in scripture that directly disrupts your comfort or your traditions, what happens next?

• A) You immediately lean in, seek to understand the secret of the Kingdom, and physically adjust your life to match the teaching so that more understanding can be given to you.

• B) You skim past it, rationalize why it doesn’t apply to you today, or let your mind drift back to comfortable human doctrines, risking the loss of what little insight you already had.

Question 2: The Condition of the Soil

According to Matthew 13:15, the reason people look but don't see is that "the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes." How do you protect your heart from hardening against the Torah and the Prophets?

• A) You keep a broken and contrite spirit, allowing the Spirit of God to plow up any pride, human conditioning, or defensiveness so you can cleanly receive the Word.

• B) You protect your current lifestyle and theological assumptions at all costs, closing your eyes to clear scriptural facts because changing your walk would be too socially or physically disruptive.

Question 3: The Source of Your Discernment

In 1 Corinthians 2:14, Paul writes: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." When evaluating things like the Seventh-Day Sabbath, the Biblical Feasts, or dietary boundaries, what lens do you look through?

• A) The lens of the Spirit of God. You see these instructions as beautiful, spiritual, eternal, and perfectly aligned with the walk of Yeshua.

• B) The lens of the natural man. You view keeping the physical commandments of God as "legalism," "foolishness," or a redundant burden, relying on human logic and church culture to judge spiritual matters.

Question 4: The Ultimate Test of Hearing

The text concludes with the purpose of truly open eyes and ears: "...lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, and I should heal them." What is the final proof that you have actually heard the Master's voice?

• A) You physically turn (make a complete teshuvah / repentance), walking away from the lawless ways of the world and into total obedience to the Savior's commands.

• B) You talk about the text, study the text, and debate the text, but your feet never actually move. Your daily lifestyle, calendar, and actions look exactly the same as they did before.

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The Diagnostic Verdict: If your selections drop primarily into the B category, the warning of Isaiah is active in your life: you are looking but not seeing, hearing but not comprehending. Having ears that are ready to hear requires clearing out the clutter of human tradition and submitting completely to the Spirit of God—because the Master only pours an abundance of knowledge into a vessel that is ready to obey.

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Living in the Spirit

5 Those who are dominated by sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

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“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. Matthew 7

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Yeshua answered and said to him: “Timeless truth I am telling you: If a person is not born again, it is impossible for that one to see the Kingdom of God. “John 3:3

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