Just like most Saturday mornings, last Saturday we trekked to the grocery store. It’s amazing where God teaches us. If you think that God cannot speak to you in the mundane, every day exercises of life, look a little harder. The more you look, the easier you will see. Anyway…
As I started through a door in the grocery store, I noticed someone walking behind me using their cell phone – aren’t we all? The person looked up from their phone as I held the door. She blew me a kiss. A little much for just holding the door but, well, ok. Then it hit me, she had touched her fingertips to her chin and moved her hand towards me. She signed thank you. She smiled. I smiled. It gave me pause. You see, she was deaf. Prior to me holding the door, she had been communicating on her smartphone. That was the bam! for me. I praised God.
I had never really thought about it until then, but cell phones have revolutionized life for our deaf friends. Think about that. Once they could not communicate by telephone. Once they could not communicate unless the person they were communicating with was in front of them. Some deaf folks couldn’t communication without pen and paper. How incredibly awesome are cell phones for those who cannot hear? To the one who cannot hear, cell phones are priceless.
I have really been chewing on this. I’ve been asking myself two questions all week – Am I deaf? Are you deaf? I don’t mean can we hear, but are we deaf? You see there’s another definition for deaf, other than unable to hear. That definition for deaf is “refusing to listen, heed, or be persuaded.” Look it up. Again, I ask…
The second question I asked myself is – Do I use the resources provided to me? The deaf community uses the resources provided to them to hear, a device, something that was transformational, something that completely changed their communication. Why don’t I? Why don’t we?
Jesus asks us the same thing. In His teachings, He tells a story and then follows up with a profoundly deep statement – four times, the same exclamation. The statement seems benign and we gloss over it heading to the next teaching.
“For before John came, all the teachings of the Scriptures looked forward to this present time… Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Matthew 11:13-15
“A farmer went out to plant some seed…Anyone who is willing to hear ,should listen and understand!” Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8
“I the Son of Man, am the farmer who plants the good seed…Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”
Matthew 13:37-43, Mark 4:14-23
“If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple…Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Luke 14:26-35
Four times from His lips. Seven times in His Word. What does that say? Here’s the Message:
“Are you listening to this?
“Really listening?” (MSG)
Aha! That’s what it’s all about. Listening. Do we listen? Do we pay attention? Do we heed? Do we obey? That’s what listening is? He’s saying, are you paying attention to what I just said? He’s saying, come on guys, listen – really listen.
“You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand.” Matthew 13:11-13
You see, it’s not about our physical hearing, it’s about spiritual hearing. It goes way beyond just hearing the words Jesus said. You know, even Satan heard the words. Anyone can hear Jesus teachings, but not everyone will listen. Let those who have ears hear and understand. To those looking, seeking the truth, if we are truly listening, it will be revealed. The Holy Spirit will open our minds to the teachings of our Lord. What does that mean? It means that when we study His Word, one of His communication devices, when we seek Him and truly listen to Him, He will communicate the meaning of the scriptures by opening our minds. He will give us understanding, which is transformational to us.
Then he opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures. Luke 24:44
Just like those who cannot hear use the communication resources available to them, why would we all not use the communication resources available to us? The Word of God the Father — God the Son, God the Spirit, is revolutionary. Why would we not want that?
We could learn a valuable lesson from our deaf friends. Use the priceless resource we are given. Use the communication resource that will transform our lives.
Let the one who has ears hear…be transformed…start a revolution!