Understanding

For a year I sat in a Spanish class every Tuesday night for 3-hours; my goal was to speak Spanish. I worked hard at learning the language and yes, I did learn some, but not enough to understand. Understanding is everything, but I wonder do we always understand? I am not talking about understanding Spanish but English. I am afraid too many times we listen but we don’t understand what we are hearing. Remember understanding is everything. I noticed something the other day I would like to share with you today. In Matthew Chapter 13 there is a story that many are familiar with. It is the story of the sower, the seed and the soils. Jesus gives this parable and then His disciples ask if He would explain it to them; which means they didn’t understand what they just heard. So Jesus does so. In Matthew 13:19- we read When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. The problem was not in the hearing but the understanding. In every case we are told that they heard.
Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. Now watch what happens! Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Because of their understanding they produced fruit, some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. When we translate the message of Christ is it clear and understandable? Nicodemus didn’t understand! He was a religious man and when Jesus began to talk to him about being “born again” he did not understand and asked Jesus “how can a man be born when he is old? Can I enter the second time into my mother’s womb and be born? It’s one thing to hear but it is quite another to understand. Do we make ourselves clear and understandable or are we just talking and making noise with a bunch of words we heard someone else say or at Church?