MATTHEW 13:16

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

TO PONDER

Jesus made the comment in our text after He told the parable of the Sower (where the farmer scattered seeds on different types of ground and only got a good harvest from one of the fields). The disciples came to Jesus for Him to explain the parable. But before He explained the parable, Jesus also explained why He used parables.

Parables were just one of the ways Jesus used to get His message across to people. Jesus understood human nature very well, so He used methods of communication to suit His audience. To people who wanted to learn, He spoke plainly. But there were people who were indifferent to Jesus’s message and there were those who wanted to find fault with Him, so they were not really interested in understanding the truths Jesus wanted to share.

The advantage of parables was that the story was easy to understand and relate to, and people had a high chance of remembering the story. And while remembering the story in the parable, the Holy Spirit could work to bring understanding of the important truths behind the parable – even well after the initial hearing of the parable.

Jesus also used exaggeration (or hyperbole) to get His point across. If we hear what we expect to hear, it can easily “go in one ear and out the other” (an expression often heard in my youth). But if we hear something that doesn’t seem quite correct, we may stop and think about it, and again give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to get an important truth past our defences.

By the way, Jesus didn’t only teach through preaching, He also lived out His message in the way He related to people through His love, care and healing.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for all the ways you use to bring Your message to us, and thank You for interrupting us from our lethargy for us to listen to what you have to say to us. Amen

Today's devotion written by Charles Bertelsmeier, LifeWay Epping