My Notes
What Does Matthew 13:9 Mean?
Jesus issues the most repeated invitation in the Gospels: "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." The invitation assumes not everyone who has physical ears has spiritual ears. The capacity to hear is universal (everyone has ears). The willingness to hear is selective (not everyone uses them). The invitation is to those who ARE willing: if you can hear — hear.
The phrase "hath ears" means the capacity exists. Everyone in the crowd has ears. The hearing apparatus is in place. But having ears and hearing are two different things. Isaiah said it (6:9-10): hearing, they don't hear. The ears function physically. They don't function spiritually.
"Let him hear" is permission and command simultaneously: you're permitted to hear (this isn't restricted information). You're commanded to hear (the hearing is your responsibility). The truth is available. The ears are available. The connection between the two is up to you.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you using the ears you have — actually hearing what God is saying, or just physically present?
- 2.What's the gap between having ears (capacity) and hearing (engagement) in your spiritual life?
- 3.Does Jesus repeating this invitation (seven times in the Gospels) communicate urgency?
- 4.What truth has been spoken recently that your ears received but your heart hasn't processed?
Devotional
You have ears. Use them. That's the invitation. And the warning.
Jesus says this after parables, after teachings, after moments where the truth is presented in a form that could be either received or dismissed. And the final word is always: who hath ears to hear, let him hear. If you can hear — hear. If the capacity is there — use it.
The assumption is sobering: not everyone who has ears will hear. The physical equipment is universal. The spiritual engagement is not. Everyone in the crowd has ears. Not everyone in the crowd is listening. The ears are there. The hearing is optional.
This is the most democratic and the most demanding invitation in the Bible. Democratic: anyone with ears is invited. Rich, poor, educated, illiterate, insider, outsider. If you have ears, you qualify. Demanding: the hearing is your responsibility. Jesus presents the truth. You decide whether to receive it. The ears are your equipment. Using them is your choice.
"Let him hear" — the permission is also a command. You're allowed to hear (this isn't secret). You're responsible to hear (this isn't entertainment). The truth has been spoken. The ears are in place. And what happens next is between you and the ears you were given.
Jesus repeats this phrase because the audience keeps needing to hear it: seven times in the Gospels, eight times in Revelation (to the seven churches: "he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith"). The repetition IS the urgency: ears. Available. Truth. Spoken. The gap between having ears and using them is the gap between hearing and not hearing.
You have ears. The truth has been spoken. The only question is: are you hearing?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture