The Divine Whisper Daily Devotional- 27

MATTHEW 13:9-16 |⁹ Let anyone with ears listen!” ¹⁰ Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ¹³ The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ ¹⁴ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn—and I would heal them.’ ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

I referenced Verse 9 last Sunday in our devotional, stressing the word “anyone,” and the generous way Jesus shared His insight and direction. But what about the other part of the sentence? What does it mean “to have ears”?

This is a first century way of referring to our teachability or receptivity. Disciples need an engaged openness in order to receive God’s word and act on it. They can’t encounter preaching or teaching or the scripture, assuming they already know all the answers. They must come expecting to be addressed and challenged. They must come with a deep humility—for an encounter with the truth is a kind of judgement! When we listen to God the soil of our soul is revealed and the level of our receptivity made clear. That is the point of Verses 10-16.

Which of the soils describes you right now?

How receptive are you?

Tags: soil, receptive