14 When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: 15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 7:14–16, NKJV)
Jesus expects us to listen to Him and to understand His teaching. Just as we listened to our math teacher to understand that 2+2=4, we must listen to the teachings of Christ to learn (properly understand) the truth of God. Divine truth is not an ever-moving target that can only be understood according to each person’s own situation and environment. This relativistic view of divine truth is common, but it not what Jesus taught about the nature of divine truth. Jesus defined His word as truth and said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jno. 8:31-32). God’s word is truth, not what we feel is truth or what our experiences say is truth (read John 17:17). We do well to conform our view of truth to Christ’s view of truth, and then listen carefully to what His truth says. That is at least part of what it means to have “ears to hear.” By doing so you are equipping yourself to listen to and understand His word (John 8:43).
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