GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 4:23
Hear!
Alice and I recently had a matrimonial discussion about my culinary practices. Alice explained how she went about preparing a dish, to which I said, “I don’t know why I don’t listen to you more.” She replied, “Oh, you listen, you just don’t hear.” Ouch!
St. Mark said that after Jesus’ lessons about putting the lamp on a lampstand and revealing what was hidden, he said, “If anyone has ears to hear, hear!” (4:23)
Many translators render this sentence as “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear”; they soften Jesus’ statement almost to a request. However, the last word in this short, six-word sentence—akoueto—is in the imperative mood; it was a command, not a request—hear! Jesus often used this same sentence—Matthew 11:15, after speaking about John the Baptist; Mark 4:9, after the parable of the sower; Mark 7:16, after speaking about what defiles a person; and Luke 14:35, after describing the cost of discipleship.
Jesus wasn’t talking about the two appendages on the side of the head when he described “ears to hear,” for everyone has those. No, he referred to a volitional willingness to take in his message. But in addition to a willingness to listen, one should hear—one should put into practice what he takes in, that is, hear! I heard Alice, for example, so the next time I prepare that dish, I’ll put into practice what she taught. So Jesus is still speaking, “If anyone has ears to hear, hear!”
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