This is a Bible study I did for my own curiosity, set for publication by Jonathan ii. I pray it is for your enjoyment.
Do You Have Ears?
That is the question governing this study. We begin with Moses, enter the seven churches, follow the Gospels, and arrive at the prophets. Ezekiel will bring us to Jesus, and Jesus will turn the question back to you.
The Study
I. Moses: Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
Deuteronomy 29:4
Moses tells Israel that, despite everything they have witnessed, they have not been given a heart to perceive, eyes to see, or ears to hear. They have seen the signs. They have heard the words. Yet they have not understood. Seeing is not necessarily perceiving. Hearing is not necessarily understanding.
II. John: What the Spirit Says to the Churches
Revelation 2–3
Jesus Christ addresses seven churches. Each receives a particular message. Each receives the same command.
Ephesus — Revelation 2:7
Smyrna — Revelation 2:11
Pergamum — Revelation 2:17
Thyatira — Revelation 2:29
Sardis — Revelation 3:6
Philadelphia — Revelation 3:13
Laodicea — Revelation 3:22
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 13:9
“If anyone has an ear, let him hear.”
The eighth occurrence comes during the vision of the beast. The seven churches have received their messages, but the command to hear continues.
III. Jesus: He Who Has Ears, Let Him Hear
Matthew
Matthew 11:15 — Jesus speaks concerning John the Baptist and Elijah.
Matthew 13:9 — Jesus concludes the parable of the sower.
Matthew 13:43 — Jesus concludes his explanation of the wheat and tares.
Mark
Mark 4:9 — Jesus concludes the parable of the sower.
Mark 4:23 — Jesus speaks concerning the lamp and the revelation of hidden things.
Mark 7:16 — Jesus teaches that defilement comes from within a person. The command appears here in the traditional textual tradition but is absent from many modern critical editions.
Luke
Luke 8:8 — Jesus concludes the parable of the sower, crying out his summons to hear.
Luke 14:35 — Jesus concludes his teaching on salt that has lost its usefulness.
John
No occurrences of the exact formula.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all place the command at the conclusion of the parable of the sower. Each also preserves the command in other settings. John does not record it in his Gospel, although he repeats it throughout Revelation.
IV. The Sower: The Story That Tests Its Hearers
Matthew 13:1–23; Mark 4:1–20; Luke 8:4–15
A sower goes out to sow.
Some seed falls beside the road and is taken away.
Some falls on rocky ground, springs up quickly, and withers because it has no root.
Some falls among thorns, which grow up and choke it.
Some falls on good soil and bears fruit.
Jesus identifies the seed as the word and describes the different ways people receive it.
The story itself is being sown among the hearers. Some will receive it. Some will misunderstand it. Some will lose it. Some will bear fruit. Jesus makes the hearing of his story part of the story.
V. John: Hearing the Voice of Jesus
John 5:24
Whoever hears Jesus’ word and believes the One who sent him has eternal life.
John 8:47
Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God.
John 10:27
Jesus’ sheep hear his voice. He knows them, and they follow him.
John 18:37
Everyone who belongs to the truth hears his voice.
John does not repeat the familiar command. Instead, he repeatedly identifies whose voice must be heard. The sheep hear the Shepherd. Those who belong to God hear God’s words. Those who belong to the truth hear Jesus Christ.
VI. The Prophets: Seeing Without Seeing, Hearing Without Hearing
Isaiah 6:9–10
Isaiah is sent to a people who will hear without understanding and see without perceiving. Their hearts have become dull, their ears heavy, and their eyes closed.
Jeremiah 5:21
Jeremiah addresses a foolish people without understanding, who have eyes but do not see and ears but do not hear.
Ezekiel 12:2
Ezekiel dwells among a rebellious people who have eyes to see and ears to hear, yet neither see nor hear.
All three prophets describe people who possess the ability to hear but do not receive what is spoken. The words have been given. The people remain unresponsive.
VII. Ezekiel: He Who Hears, Let Him Hear
Ezekiel 3:17–27
God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman and commands him to deliver the words he receives. At the conclusion of the commission, God tells Ezekiel that he will open his mouth when he speaks to him.
“He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse.”
The prophet speaks because God has spoken. The hearer must decide whether to receive or refuse the warning.
Jesus Christ takes up this language in the Gospels and speaks with his own authority.
“He who has ears, let him hear.”
VIII. Jesus: Seeing, They Do Not See
Matthew 13:10–17
The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks to the people in parables. Jesus answers by distinguishing those who have been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom from those who have not. He quotes Isaiah’s warning concerning people who hear without understanding and see without perceiving.
Mark 4:10–12
Jesus explains that the mysteries of the Kingdom are given to his disciples, while those outside hear in parables, seeing without perceiving and hearing without understanding.
Luke 8:9–10
The disciples ask what the parable means. Jesus again distinguishes those given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom from those who see without seeing and hear without understanding.
John 12:37–41
Despite the signs Jesus performed, many did not believe in him. John quotes Isaiah concerning blinded eyes and hardened hearts, then declares that Isaiah spoke these things because he saw Jesus’ glory.
The warning of the prophets has arrived in the ministry of Jesus Christ. The people are hearing the one to whom the prophets testified.
IX. The Final Warning: Have You Still Not Heard?
Mark 8:17–21
Jesus speaks to his disciples after they misunderstand his warning about leaven. He asks why they are discussing their lack of bread. He asks whether they still fail to perceive or understand. He asks whether their hearts are hardened.
“Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?”
Then he reminds them of the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand. They witnessed both events. They gathered the baskets afterward. They remember the numbers. Yet Jesus asks:
“Do you not yet understand?”
The disciples have heard his words, seen his works, and followed him. Still, Jesus challenges their understanding.
Matthew 7:21–23
Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who do the will of the Father.
Matthew 25:1–13
Ten virgins await the bridegroom. Five have brought sufficient oil. Five have not. The door is shut, and those who arrive afterward hear that the bridegroom does not know them.
Luke 13:25–27
Those outside the shut door appeal to their familiarity with Jesus. They ate and drank in his presence. He taught in their streets. Nevertheless, they are rejected.
Both/And
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Is this Law or Gospel?
The question of Law and Gospel is not a matter of pinning the tail on the right notion at every moment, as though anything were ever singular perfect or contextless vacuum,. We cannot see as clearly as God sees.
All depends on how you are listening. Who do you say that he is?
It’s not a trick question.
