Ears & Hearing

Mat 11:15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear."
Mat 13:43b He who has ears, let him hear.
Mar 4:9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mar 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mar 7:16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
Luk 8:8b "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Luk 14:35b He who has ears to hear, let him hear."


Jesus, the Creator of language, did not likely use lightly the phrase, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Nor was it likely because He had nothing better to say, nor because it was merely some pet phrase. Rather, it appears He was verbally illustrating a point; hear if God has given you the grace to be able to. Not all can hear who simply have ears that work. A profoundly sobering point. When one shares the gospel, that one is not the one who gives ears to hear the words of life - only God does that.

Saddened, frustrated, and helpless are the feelings that come when one tries to share God’s powerful truth with those who cannot hear. Today was another opportunity for me to experience such helplessness and again another powerful reminder of the necessity of intercessory prayer, that God may do the work that He alone can do.

Jesus when sharing his life giving words was speaking directly to those whom, according to His sovereign grace, He had enabled to hear spiritually. It seems that He was even demonstrating the fact that He was doing so by this repeated phrase.


Rom 11:8 as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day."

Luk 8:10 he said, "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.'

Mat 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Mat 13:14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. Mat 13:15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.


Our Father in heaven, may you grant ears that hear. Might you reach down from heaven and touch many ears that many may truly hear the glories of the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.