Harvest Hearing | Mark 4:20-25

20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. 21And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.

23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Mark 4:20-25)

Picture two fields: one covered in fruitful plants; the other barren. Both were planted with the same seed. The fruitful one had been tilled, weeded and irrigated; the barren one had been left alone. So it is with hearing God’s word. Some hear it and reap an abundant spiritual harvest; others hear it and remain spiritually barren. In Mark 4:20-25, Jesus gives two qualities of fruitful hearing: acceptance and attention.

Acceptance

20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. 21And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. (Mark 4:20-22)

Accept God’s word into yourself the way you accept a lamp into your home. Just as you wouldn’t put a lamp in your pantry with a bowl over it, or remove the shade and roll it beneath your bed, don’t set God’s word aside when you hear it. Instead, place it in a prominent place in your head and heart so that it can have it’s effect in your life. God’s word is meant to “be made manifest” and “come to light.”

Attention

23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:23)

Hear what you’re hearing! Don’t be like a glaze-eyed child who hears his parents without hearing his parents. Don’t just let the audio waves hit the mechanics of your ears. Hear the word! Listen!

24And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Mark 4:23-25)

The Greek word translated ‘pay attention’ is the word for ‘see.’ “Look at what you’re hearing!” Grab it and wrestle it to the ground so that you can hold it still and examine it with your mind’s eye.

Take initiative when hearing God’s word. We tend to be passive about it. If the preacher isn’t on a unicycle juggling chainsaws, we check out mentally–or check out Facebook on our smartphones. But beware a grave danger in passively ignoring God’s word: The more you do so, the less able to hear it you become. Your spiritual ears atrophy.

It’s like exercise. Go to the gym and work out and you gain not only the benefit of that workout, but also the increased capacity to work out next time. But if you go to the gym, sit in the corner and eat Cheetos, you lose not only the benefit of that workout, but also shrink your capacity to work out next time. In this way the measure you use in listening to God’s word is measured back to you, and then some. To those who listen, more will be given. To those who do not, even what they have will be taken away.

Challenge

So I issue you a challenge, especially those of you who find God’s word difficult to accept and pay attention to.

1. Go to church every Sunday for the rest of the year. Don’t miss a single one. (That’s only five at the time of this writing.)
2. Bring a Bible, notebook and pen each Sunday.
3. Write down something you get from the sermon. It might be a truth to believe, a promise to trust, a command to obey, a warning to heed, a blessing for which to be grateful, etc.
4. Put that one thing on a sticky note some place where you can see it every day. Your bathroom mirror, beside your coffee maker, on top of your TV, wherever.
5. Ask God to help you incorporate it into your life every time you see it. “Father, please help me live in light of this truth.” “Father, please help me trust in this promise.” “Father, please help me obey this command.”

That’s it. You can do it. And if you do, you will find yourself accepting and paying attention to God’s word, perhaps in a way you never have before. And as time goes on, you will experience fruit, “thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Discussion Starters

1. Read verse 20. What are some differences between those who only “hear” and those who “hear the word and accept it?” (Go back and mine verses 14-20 for help.)
2. Read verses 21-22. What does this bit about the lamp have to do with anything? What does the lamp represent? What does he mean by hidden things being made manifest and secret things coming to light?
3. Read verse 23. What does it mean to have ears to hear? Is that something we can control? Or is it something God has to give us? Are there any scriptures that can help us better understand this?
4. Read verse 24-25. What in the world is Jesus talking about? What does he mean by “the measure you use?” What is he giving and taking away in verse 25?
5. Is it right for God to operate like this? To “measure back” to us according to the measure we use? To give more to those who have and to take away from those who have not? What about grace?
6. Based on your discussion of this passage, how can we be fruitful hearers? What practical steps can we take?
7. Pray together.

Picture from waldopepper.