Ears to Hear the Word of God

Ears to Hear the Word of God

Luke 8:4-15 T Sexagesima

INI

Perhaps one of the more confusing passages of the Christian faith lies in what Jesus says in verse 10 of our Gospel text today – “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.” Jesus cites Isaiah 6:9 in his reason for speaking in parables – “[People] Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to be healed.”

God gave Isaiah a difficult task – and really, to all messengers of the Kingdom of God – preach the things of God. Preach the Law before you preach the Gospel. Convict humanity of their sins so that they may know their need for salvation from God. A message of condemnation must precede the message of hope that comes through the Messiah.

Simple enough. The problem is that not everyone will receive such a message. They will harden their hearts to God’s Word. For one reason or another, they’ll reject it. The parable of the Sower gives us some reasons why God’s Word might be rejected by a sinful world – whether that be because Satan has come and snatched the message from the hearts of sinners, or because having received the message of the kingdom of God, they’re joyful – but that message falls by the waste side when trials and temptations come. Or one may fall away because faith is slowly choked out by the riches, cares, and pleasures of living in this sinful world.

For one reason or another, sinful man hardens their heart to the Word of God. And that was happening to the crowds who heard Jesus teach this parable. Typically, when Jesus taught publicly, there were different types of hearers. Some were interested in his teaching. Others were simply interested in his miracles. But when the teaching got too tough to follow, they fell away. And yet there were other Pharisees who wanted to listen to Jesus only so that they could find something to pin Him to wall with and charge him with blasphemy – which ultimately led to His crucifixion.

Jesus’ point in giving these parables is this: not everyone will understand Jesus’ teaching. To some, God’s Word will remain a mystery – not because God has shut them out of the kingdom, but because their own sin, the world, and the devil blind them from receiving the truth. Yet to others, ‘it has been given them to know the secrets of God’s kingdom.’

So, why some and not others? Why do some receive God’s Word with joy, yet others reject it? It’s not because the ones who receive God’s Word were somehow smarter, more well-versed in the Scriptures, or because they’re more spiritual people. And it’s not because God chose some and not others to receive His life-giving Gospel, as the prophet Ezekiel writes – God says “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live (Ezekiel 33:11).” Rather, the message of Christ is received because God has had mercy on them, and He’s opened their ears to hear and opened their hearts to believe.

Scripture says “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17).” Faith isn’t something that’s manufactured within a sinner. As Luther explains in the third article of the Creed – “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Christ Jesus my Lord or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” This is to say, faith is a work done by the Holy Spirit. Faith isn’t my work or your work. It’s God’s alone.

Today’s liturgical observance is called ‘sexagesima’ and last Sunday was ‘septuagesima’ and next Sunday is called ‘quinquagesima’. Together, these three Sundays are known as “Pre-Lent”. It’s a time to prepare for Lent.

I used to not really understand why these texts were used by the church before we enter Lent. The themes for these Sundays sort of mirror the Reformation tenets of “Grace alone, Scripture alone, and Faith alone.” But why observe that before Lent?

These texts prepare us for the self-disciplines of Lent, like giving alms to the poor, fasting, and increased prayer. But lest we’d be so conceited and self-centered to think that we’re earning God’s grace by our spiritual disciplines – we remember that the kingdom of God is worked through us, not within us. That is to say, we don’t do these disciplines to earn God’s favor, or to somehow create good soil within our hearts to receive God’s Word, or get the idea that faith is manufactured by us. These disciplines are for our good, or else God wouldn’t tell us to do them. But the disciplines themselves don’t cause growth.

Now, Lent is a time of self-denial, of putting off the flesh and living to the Spirit of God. Paul encourages this type of behavior constantly in his epistles – “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (Romans 13:14).” On Ash Wednesday, we’ll hear from Jesus on the sermon on the mount – how the Christian practices fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Jesus warns us to be careful of doing these things flamboyantly and publicly so as to heap praise upon us and our righteousness. Rather, these practices are meant to bring our bodies and souls to remember our inherent need for Christ and His righteousness. Where we are empty and hungry, God reminds us that He fills us with what we need to live: His Word. Where we are in need, God reminds us that He is a good Father who supplies our needs. Where we think we actually own our riches, God reminds us we are merely managers of what He’s given.

These texts are set up as a preparation before Lent that we might be reminded that grace is God’s to give, and today, we learn that God grows the Christian – not us. Even though we practice these godly disciplines in Lent in alignment with the exhortations of the Scriptures, we really contribute little to the growth of the Gospel in us. It comes from God alone.

Though, the Pharisees misunderstood that. The Pharisees did these spiritual practices because they thought that by fulfilling the letter of the Law, they could gain God’s favor. However, they practiced the right thing with wrong intentions.

That’s highlighted by the parable today, when Jesus says that knowing the mysteries of the kingdom of God is GIVEN. That is, it is given by the Holy Spirit. Some harden their hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit, whether that be because being a disciple of Jesus is too difficult for them – like the rich man who couldn’t let go of his idol of money to follow Jesus – or because they don’t truly believe they have any sins they need saving from.

And certainly, that mentality is alive and well today. There are many people who know the Scriptures well. There’s a whole segment of unbelievers who read the Scriptures not to hear what God has to say to them regarding their sin and God’s desire for them to repent. Rather, they read God’s Word so that they can nail Jesus to the cross all over again. They behave as a lawyer who spent years studying the law – but not for the purpose of upholding justice, which is why the law exists. But to find loopholes and exploit them for their own gain. He knows every technicality, but he twists the law to attack those who stand for truth. Such a person reads the Scriptures, not to be convicted by it or be led to repentance. But they twist it, mock it, and use it as ammunition against Christ and His church – just like the Pharisees who tried to trap Jesus with His own words. They listened to Jesus with a hardened heart, not faith. To them, the mystery of God’s kingdom is withheld – because they never really sought to understand it in the first place.

But before we shake our heads at the Pharisees or skeptics of today, could the same thing be said of us? Do we ever approach God’s Word, not to be shaped by it, but use it to justify the desires of our sinful hearts? Do we listen to sermons, not to be convicted, but nod along with the parts we already think and dismiss the parts that’re challenging?

Or maybe, when we hear God’s commands, we find loopholes to soften the edges of God’s Law so that it doesn’t hit us as hard? When we do this, we aren’t so different from the Pharisees who hardened their hearts against Jesus. So, when we hear God’s Word, do we hear it with ears of faith, or do we listen to it while holding on to our sins?

If you find yourself convicted of this – take heart. This is evidence that the Spirit is at work within you to reveal to you your need for Christ. God’s Word isn’t a sword that leaves you cut to pieces. It’s also a scalpel that heals you by removing your sin from you – casting it out as far as the East is from the West. Christ doesn’t abandon the hard of heart – He calls them to repentance that forgiveness might be theirs in Christ Jesus.

Jesus spoke the hard truth about hearts that resist Him and His word. But this is the same Jesus who went to the cross to heal sinners and skeptics. He doesn’t withhold His kingdom from those who seek it in humbleness and contrition. He opens deaf ears and softens hard hearts and plants His Word in you that it may bear fruit.

By His grace, God will forgive you, restore you, and give you ears to hear the truth of His saving grace for you.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston