The CROSSroads: Personal Lessons from Mark's Gospel by Rev. Mitch Schultz

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:34:16utc

Lesson Seventeen: LISTENING – A VITAL PART OF WORSHIP (Mark 4:1-20)

"He who has an ear let him hear." (vs.9)

Someone was giving me directions recently but I was only half listening. My mind was somewhere else and I found myself absorbing only fragments of the directions being given. I quickly discovered that the little bits I took in were not enough to successfully take me to my destination. I swallowed my pride and pulled into a service station to try again, this time with eager attentiveness.

We can often be like that when we listen to the directions of Jesus as we move through this road called life. The parable of the sower teaches us that unless we give complete attention to what our Lord has to say, we can easily get distracted from our path. The key theme to the parable is about listening but the sort of listening that is determined and undivided. Look carefully at how Jesus begins this parable. You will observe that he calls us first to listen. "Listen. A farmer went out to sow" (vs.3). Follow along through the parable into the next parable of the Lamp. Stand and you will notice that at several junctures Jesus pauses to ensure his listeners are still with him. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."(vs.9) "If any one has ears to hear, let him hear." (vs.23) "Consider carefully what you hear." (vs.24)

Look more carefully at the content of the parable of the sower and again you will notice that Jesus is continually appealing to our hearing. When later he gives an explanation of the parable to his disciples we find that the most successful way that the enemy has to keep us from obeying God is to cause us to be poor listeners. Some people (vs13) are like seed that fall along the path. "As soon as they hear it Satan comes and takes it away." Others (vs. 16) are guilty of being like seed sown on rocky ground. They "hear the word with joy" but since their roots are shallow, what they hear sinks in only so deep. And others (vs. 18) are like seed sown in thorns. They too "hear the word" but the worries of this life choke it out.

In each of these cases the problem is with our hearing. Sometimes we just aren't very good listeners. We are too distracted. We think about others things while our Lord speaks to us. The consequence can be tragic. Shallow lives, worry filled lives, and rejection of truth can be the unfortunate results of the neglect of listening to what our Lord has to say to us.

Let me just add here that I believe listening is a crucial part of our worship. Think about this for a minute. When you sit in church how much of your time is spent in listening? I would suggest that about three-quarters of the time spent during the worship service involves us, the worshiper, listening. We listen to the scripture being read. Or do we? We listen to the prayer being offered to God -or do we? We listen to the sermon preached. Or do we? Do you see what I mean when I say that listening is a vital part of worship? You see, it is through the sense of hearing that God's word touches us and (depending on the quality of our listening) penetrates deep and invokes a radical change to the soil of our hearts. How are you at listening? Next time you worship, value the role of listening.

God has given man one tongue but two ears that we may hear twice as much as we speak.