Ears that Hear - Pt 1

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9 ESV). I often hear from people who wonder how they can read their Bible better. Though simplistic in the message of God’s revelation of His redemptive work in Christ, it can be a very complex book in many ways. For the next few days I hope to explore how you may be able to unlock more of the treasures of the Scripture. The practice of reading the Bible should be a slow and deeply attentive exercise. Those who read the Bible best, in our storied Christian past, called this lectio divina or spiritual reading. It was a careful “fourfold reading” of the Bible, with each reading paying attention to a different concern. The first reading was called lectio, a kind of gathering up all the treasures found in a passage of Scripture. The second reading was called meditatio, a focused meditation on a particular treasure discovered in the first reading. The third reading was called oratio, or praying the passage. The final reading was called contemplatio, and it called for a deep contemplation on the implications of the passage. The contemplative reading of the passage is the place where the serious application of Scripture to common practice takes place. Throughout Matthew 13, where our reading today comes from, we see an interesting contrast in the way people are drawn to Jesus at the beginning and repelled by him at the end. The parables Jesus uses help us understand some of this progression. He began to use parables more and more with the disciples. He certainly understood that truth is not acceptable to every person. There are those who have neither interest nor regard in the things of God. To those with a genuine hunger for God, the parable is both an effective and memorable vehicle for the conveyance of divine truths. The Lord’s parables contain great volumes of truth in very few words; and His parables, rich in imagery, are not easily forgotten. So, then, the parable is a blessing to those with willing ears. But to those with dull hearts and ears that are slow to hear, the parable is also an instrument of both judgment and mercy. So, the first step to reading the Bible better is simply to want to read it. I find that I always have time to do what I want. How much do you want to read the Bible, really?