"Preparatory Command..."

Mark 4:23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.” ~CSB

When I was younger my grandmother used to say, “Always remember…” This set in me so deep that whenever I hear someone say, “Always remember…”  my ears perk up.  And whatever is said afterward, I remember.

For example, when I was in school and a teacher made a negative comment toward me, or another student said something negative toward me, my grandmother would say, “Always remember…grandmama loves you and you are the greatest at everything you do.”  That would fuel me. After she would say that to me, anything anyone would say to me negative would bounce off.

​“Always remember…” was an important ‘command of preparation’. Like in the Army, the Drill Sargent would give a preparatory command before giving the order. For example, “Platoon!”  This would be the preparatory command. Then the order would follow, “Left…Face!”

Jesus also gave a preparatory command to his people when He made a spiritual statement or gave instructions to the children of God. A lot of times they came after a parable He told. Those words were, “…anyone who has ears to hear, let him listen.”

​For instance, in the text of Luke 14:34-35, NLT version, He says, “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Salt to the people during this time was more important to them because it not only flavored food, it also preserved food, (there were no refrigerators).

​Tony Evans comments in his Commentary Bible: “The saltiness of salt is what makes it salt! Without that, it isn’t fit for…the manure pile.  Likewise, unless a Christian is willing to endure the costly nature of being a disciple, he is useless to the kingdom of God. “…let anyone who has ears to hear listen” is Jesus’ way of saying, “Though everyone has ears, not everyone listens.”

Whenever Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” He is calling for people to pay careful heed. It is another way of saying, “Listen up! Pay close attention?” I truly believe that God set me up for receiving this Word from Him by my grandmother’s words, “Always remember…” I trained myself to always record mentally whatever came after she said that.

Now we must train ourselves to spiritually accept the seed of the Word of God, especially when it begins with the words of our Lord, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.” Include with your devotional this week the time to search for parables and texts that begin or end with these words of direction. Some of them can be found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and Revelation. 

Read, hear, and do the instructions given and watch your life spiritually grow toward that great relationship with the Lord! May God keep you in his good grace as you continue your Christian journey in Jesus’ name.
 
Amen

Blessings,
​Billy

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