He Who Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear
Jesus Christ used the phrase, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" on multiple occasions throughout His life on this earth. In fact, the phrase is recorded six times in the New Testament and it is a phrase used only by the Savior. Sometimes, we make the statement, "I'm all ears" to signify to someone that we are truly ready to listen. Jesus uses the New Testament phrase to impress upon those in His audience and each of us that every single one of us needs to listen up and hear certain things.
The gospel writer Matthew records Jesus' first use of the phrase when the Savior was speaking about the importance of John the Baptist and the work he did (Matthew 11:15). In essence, Jesus was reflecting on the beginning of His public teaching which would give way to the most important message ever spoken. John had prepared the way and now Jesus was teaching about redemption which would come through Himself. Everyone then needed to "listen up" and the same is true for us. Using our ears to listen intently to Christ's teachings is paramount to each of us.
Three gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) record Jesus' first parable when He speaks of the man going and sowing seed after which Jesus concluded with His statement about having ears to hear (Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8).
In the parable and in His subsequent explanation of the parable, Christ teaches that the success of teaching God's word is not simply limited to our abilities. Instead, the type of hearts we encounter will most definitely influence the reception we get from those whom we are attempting to teach. For Christians, we need to use our ears to hear this incredibly important message for from it we learn many important things of which two are key. First, we need to spread God's word liberally, not trying to anticipate who will accept it and who will not. And secondly, we need to guard ourselves against the discouragement that comes from the failure of a person to respond. How one reacts to the gospel's message is not our sole responsibility.
Jesus' last use of this influential phrase occurs in Luke 14:35 when speaking about the uselessness of salt which has lost its flavor. Our influence is only as good as its power to make others see us as different. When we no longer stand out from the sinful world in which we live, it's difficult for us to make the kind of impact we could otherwise make. Jesus' warning is for us to listen and to always remember that our lives must be testimonies to His message and to the power it brings to our lives which we can (and must) always share with others.