Consider carefully what you hear

'Consider carefully what you hear,' he continued. 'With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.' (Mark 4:24–25)

Luke's Gospel reads:

'Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.' (Luke 8:18)

Jesus wants us not only to consider carefully what we hear, but also how we listen.

The way of salvation

No words of Jesus can be without impact in our lives. Peter said:

'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.' (John 6:68)

Jesus came from the Father to declare to mankind the way of salvation, so we must pay careful attention to what he said. Jesus wants us to consider carefully, to think about, and to ponder upon what he is telling us. We shouldn't let it go in one ear and out the other: we should meditate on it.

Old Testament symbolism

The Old Testament is rich in symbolism. God told the people of Israel they could only eat animals that were ceremonially clean (Leviticus 11:1–8). Verses 1–3 defines the animals:

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Say to the Israelites: "Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud." '

Only animals that had a split hoof and chewed the cud were ceremonially clean. But what was the point of the regulation? Having a split hoof completely divided symbolized separation from sin. And chewing the cud symbolized thoughtful consideration of God's Word.

Have you watched animals chewing the cud? After grazing they sit down quietly, regurgitate what they've eaten and chew it over again before swallowing it. The second chewing aids digestion and assimilation of the nutrients. It makes them look as though they're deep in thought or meditating on something. Contrast that with the way a pig eats (an unclean animal) and you will see the point. God wants us to think about his Word, to chew it over, and to consider it in our hearts.

With the measure you use

'With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.' (Mark 4:24b)

The more effort we put into seeking to understand spiritual truth, the more spiritual truth God will reveal to us. God rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6) and we don't have to be Bible teachers to understand spiritual truth.

The psalmist declared:

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. (Psalm 119:99)

The psalmist had more insight than all his teachers because he meditated on (spent time thinking about and pondering) God's Word. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, and the Holy Spirit is the one who teaches and interprets spiritual truth to us (John 14:26).

Jesus said:

'…when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.' (John 16:13)

The Holy Spirit wants to guide us into all truth. We, on our part, need to apply ourselves to the Scriptures so he can do that for us.

Do not lose what you have

'Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.' (Mark 4:25)

It is a solemn fact that if we do not go forward with God we can be in danger of backsliding. Christians who have not denied the faith but no longer walk with the Lord as they used to, are in a precarious position.

Proverbs 19:27 says:

Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

If we stop reading the Bible its influence on our lives will begin to fade. God doesn't stand still and he doesn't want us to stand still. He wants us to be continually growing in the knowledge and understanding of the truth…

…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

Spiritual maturity is God's will for all of his children.

What Jesus said in our opening text (Mark 4:25) is almost identical to his concluding remarks in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30). There he said that the servant who had not used the one talent he had been given was wicked and lazy (v26) and would be thrown outside into the darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Even what he had would be taken from him (v29).

Whatever other talents we've received from the Lord, each of us has been given the Holy Spirit to teach us and lead us into all truth. The problem the servant in the Parable of the Talents had was his laziness: he couldn't be bothered to use what his master had given him. Consequently he was condemned by his master as being wicked and lazy and was thrown outside into the darkness.

Are we being lazy in spiritual things? Are we applying ourselves to the Scriptures so the Holy Spirit can lead us into all truth? Only we can answer those questions, in our hearts, before the Lord.

Michael Graham
September 2003

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