24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Horsham: 17th March 2024
The context of these verses is straightforward. Jesus has just told his disciples, not for the first time, to listen and respond.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Mark 4:23)
In context, ‘consider carefully what you hear,’ (v24) means ‘pay careful attention to what I am saying.’ Jesus is telling his disciples, including you and me, to listen carefully to his voice and reflect on what we have heard. We hear his voice in Scripture. Read his words slowly and carefully. Pay careful attention. Read. Listen Reflect.
I recently heard a young man talking about his experience as a zoo keeper. During his first week, he joined the team with responsibility for looking after the gorillas. His greatest challenge came when he was introduced to the gorillas. The first response of these powerful animals was to want nothing to do with him. They largely ignored him but occasionally, and unpredictably, displayed aggression. He described their behaviour as being rather like that of a petulant toddler, but of course some of these toddlers weigh 400 – 500 pounds, and are blessed with 10 times the strength of the average fit and healthy human.
After many months of persistence, including some difficult encounters, the young zoo keeper realised that he was slowly developing a close and rewarding relationship with the animals. He learned, he said, an important life lesson. The more effort which he put in his relationship with his new animal friends, the more he gained.
It seems to me that the same principle applies to our relationship with God. The more you put in, the deeper your relationship will become.