Mk. 4:33-34 “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”
“As much as they could understand”--- How much does God speak to you? This passage is filled with insights into the ways of God. Many people are perplexed, and crying out because they feel that God is not speaking to them. Perhaps the issue is one of comprehension not communication. There is a pattern throughout the word of God and the Gospels in particular that demonstrates the fact that God is and has consistently been speaking but in many cases the problem is that the people do not understand what has been said to them.
Have you ever sat through a class on a subject that you did not really have a foundational understanding in? The lecturer continues on and from almost the moment he begins to speak you feel lost because you do not possess the essentials of understanding that field of study to enable you to comprehend what you have heard. It is not that there is no teacher. The problem is with the foundation of your understanding! In this situation there are typically three possible responses. We can sit in the class politely and do nothing as the information passes over us while we remain there with a blank look on our face. We can move to a new class and give up on that field of study. Or we can take every piece of information that we do not grasp into our private space and begin to study it until we understand what we are hearing. The more we continue to enlarge our understanding in general the more each new piece of information that we receive fits into a context that enables us to grasp it more quickly.
This is how it is with God. He is not far from us. He is not withholding communication. In fact He delights in sharing His heart with His children. John 5:20 demonstrates the Father’s pleasure in communicating. “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” The very reflection of His love is the fact that He shares His heart with His Son. But you may be saying that this relationship is reserved for Jesus. Think again! 1 John 3:1 declares joyfully “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” The Father’s heart is not reserved for Jesus. You and I are the delight of God as well! If the revelation of the Father to the Son is the reflection of His love then we too should anticipate the voice of the Father speaking to us as much as we can bear.
Jesus told His disciples in John 16:12-15 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” What a powerful sentence this is for those who believe. God has much more to say to you!!!!! How much can you bear? There is no shortage of God’s willingness and ability to speak to us. He is compelled by a Father’s love to teach us all that He can!
When it comes to hearing the voice of God for the believer the issue seems to be not the willingness of God but the readiness of man. Perhaps the measure of our preparation is the limit of our receptivity! Jesus had to restrain Himself because the people could not bear what He had to say. Their minds were not mature enough to embrace the measure of what He desired to share with them. Consider their reaction when He said that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Their preconceptions of what that meant limited their ability to receive that truth from Jesus and it says in John 6:66 that “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” This same principle is reflected in Jesus parable of the sower as the Jesus illustrates the fact that not all hearts are properly prepared to receive what the Lord has to say in a life given way.
So then, hearing is a heart issue! God desires relationship with you but His standards are high. He wants whole hearted lovers, not casual friends. Jeremiah confronts the heart of God’s people in Jer 29:11-13 by revealing both God’s desire and man’s error. He prophecies “I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Turn to the Lord with whole hearted seeking. Cry out for understanding, and you will see that God has already been speaking as He opens your ears and tunes them in to the voice of the Holy Spirit and enables you to enjoy Him in relationship like never before!
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