Mark 4:33-34 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

As in everything else, Jesus was wise in how he taught. The general population was not ready to receive truths that conflicted with their traditions, so He couched that truth in illustrations, metaphors, and parables. His disciples, on the other hand, were still largely ignorant of the things of the Kingdom but they were committed to Jesus, so He was able to say things more plainly to them. There are many examples of that plain teaching scattered through the Gospels. We too need to let Holy Spirit guide us as to what to say to whom, when and how. Educators are very aware of what are called “teachable moments,” when someone’s mind and heart are prepared to receive whatever you are wanting to give them. All sorts of things influence that. Every pastor experiences having an outside speaker come in and the congregation be very moved by what they hear, when actually it is something the pastor has been trying to get through to them for months! That’s why every genuine disciple of Jesus Christ needs to ask for hearing ears, a hearing heart, every time they listen to a message or even read the Bible. I think just about every Christian has experienced reading a passage they had read many times before, but suddenly the words reach out and grab them, imparting God’s truth into their heart. We aren’t to put ourselves down for not grasping that truth earlier, but rather be grateful that God has prepared our heart to receive it at that point. Jesus spoke several times about “ears to hear,” and John famously used that phrase in talking about what he had been shown on the island of Patmos. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22) We need to ask for hearing ears!

I have recently been touched by something my younger daughter said to me. We try to have an online chat with our daughters every Saturday morning, Japan time, and we use “starter questions” to keep the conversation meaningful. One such that came up a few weeks ago was, “What is something you have really learned from your parents?” She blew me out of the water by saying, “I’ve learned to listen. I always felt like I could say anything to you and you would really hear me.” I almost cried, because I’ve never felt like I was a very good listener – I talk too much! It is true, however, that I do seek to listen to God, whenever and however He speaks to me. One thing that impacted me in that area was the brief, 3-month time I had with my father after I brought my wife and children to Japan for the first time, back in 1974. We arrived March 1^st, and my parents left for the US the middle of May, for the trip from which my father returned in a box. My father was a university chancellor, very busy, but every time I went into his study I felt like he had nothing to do but talk with me, his youngest child. I know what that meant to me, and I guess I have tried to emulate that, but until my daughter spoke up, I didn’t feel I had been very successful. Listening to people is important but of course listening to God is most important. We are commanded to love God and love our neighbor, and love listens.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You have worked in me, often in spite of me! I pray that I would indeed listen more and more and better and better, to be transformed into what You desire me to be, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!