“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” #1787

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)

We can understand the teachings of Jesus by listening to them. It concerns us when Christians take exception with that simple statement of trust in the inspired word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Eph. 5:17). When we reduce the teachings of Christ and His apostles (who taught His commands, 1 Cor. 14:37) to personal and relative “interpretation,” we have elevated ourselves above the Lord and surrendered our allegiance to His authority (Matt. 28:18-20; Col. 3:17). In today’s passage, Jesus taught that spiritual corruption does not occur because of what one eats, but is due to what comes out of the heart (Mk. 7:17-23). Understanding that evil proceeds from the heart and is identifiable is not a personal, relative, or so-called traditional interpretation of the Scriptures – it is what Jesus said (read Mark 7:20-23). We ought to ask ourselves, “Do I have ‘ears to hear’ Jesus?” If so, you will understand Him. Do not be deceived by attempts to persuade you that understanding God’s word amounts to accepting a tradition about the Scriptures. Truth is not open to different interpretations or opinions. Therefore, neither is understanding it. We open our hearts to the devil when we close our ears to the word of God by reducing an understanding of it to “our tradition.”

Hear and Understand #466

10  When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” 12  Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:10-12)

One insults Jesus by saying His word cannot be understood. Sometimes, when one is offended by the word of God, he tries to deflect the force of truth by saying, “that’s just your interpretation”. That leaves the impression that God’s word is open to multiple meanings on any given topic. Thus, we cannot “hear and understand” the word of God; the best we can do is have our own interpretation of His word. That is very wrong. (How would you feel if someone said your word is open to many different interpretations?) When the Pharisees heard Jesus teach they understood Him. They were offended by His teaching (see Matt. 15:1-9). We are commanded to “not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17). Instead of being offended by God’s word, believe it, obey it and be set free from sin (Jno. 8:32).