Take Care How You Hear, Part 1
March 6, 2025 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
The gospels record Jesus giving the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15). Jesus describes the truth of the parable as the “secrets of the kingdom” (Lk. 8:10). The seed of the Word of God is sown into hearers, who are described as different types of soil. The “secret” of the kingdom is that the way one hears and receives the Word of God directly impacts one’s fruitfulness in the kingdom. Jesus then gives the practical application in Luke 8:18, “Take care then how you hear.”
What can we glean from the parable to help us “take care”?
- Be watchful in prayer for Satan’s attacks. Jesus says, “[The seed that falls] along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (Lk. 8:12). For believers, Satan cannot ultimately steal the word from our hearts so that we would not be saved. And yet, Satan is our adversary, prowling like a roaring lion, “seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). If Satan cannot snatch us from the hand of God, he will still try to snatch away our fruitfulness. Satan will always be active, therefore, we must be active in prayer, resisting him in the strength of the Lord.
- Hunger for deeper roots in the truth of the Word. For the rocky soil, Jesus says, “The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away” (Lk. 8:13). This means that the rocks represent the trials and tests in life we all inevitably face. These people fall away from the Word because they do not have deep roots in the Word to sustain them through rocky trials. We become more fruitful hearers of the Word as our roots grow deeper and deeper in the Word. This imagery of roots speaks about drawing strength and hope from the Word. Too often we look to other things and people for strength and hope, especially ourselves. A rooted person will hunger for and delight in God’s Word (Psalm 1:2-3).
- Acknowledge the temptations of the world, which distract from the Word. Jesus says about the third soil, “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Lk. 8:14). These are people who listen to the Word, but the Word does not produce fruit in their lives. “They are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life.” When our hearts are divided, and we treasure the things of this world, we hinder the work of the Word in our lives. To take care how we hear means that we will acknowledge those temptations and pray, “Lord, deliver us from temptation!” When we do not esteem the Word of God rightly, we will not listen well to the Word.
- Hold fast to the Word with a good heart. Jesus describes the last soil, “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Lk. 8:15). The church at Thessalonica is an example of this soil. Paul says about them, “When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thes. 2:13). This manner of receiving the Word as the Word of God is grounded in the proper understanding of Scripture. The eternal, all-powerful, loving, and majestic God has breathed out Scripture in order to communicate his will unto us. It is through Scripture that we come to know salvation and have hope. It is Scripture that renews our minds. The Spirit of truth uses the sword of Scripture to conform us to the image of the Son. A “good heart” receives Scripture as it truly is, the Word of God. To “hold fast” to the Word is to trust in the Word as it truly is, the Word of God.
How we hear the Word of God makes all the difference in our life as Christians. Our fruitfulness, our joy, our perseverance, our peace are all linked to how we hear the Word. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, says, “Take care then how you hear.” Do you “take care”? The parable of the sower gives us direction on how to take care.
