Cheers: A Toast To Those With Ears To Hear

Wine tasting at Sharpe Hill Vineyard, northeast Connecticut, Fall 2016

Words can be spoken, but not heard.

Although an audible sound can be heard and conceived as intelligible language, a message is not always perceived nor received.

When words were surely heard, and can be repeated correctly by the recipient, why then is the message unclear?

The message was not received.

Although the words were heard, the words were not understood, not received, not heard.

The speaking of words can be endless, yet no amount of words may ever permeate a heart that was not made to receive the message.

When certain words, or better stated a particular message, is not heard by a recipient, when, or how, or can the recipient eventually, or ever, 'hear' what was messaged?

About fasting and times of change...and other things.

They said to Him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 

Yeshua answered, “Can you make the friends of the Bridegroom fast while He is with them? But the time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” 

He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’ ” 

- Luke 5: 33-39

About imbibing and judging by appearances...and other things:

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” 

- Luke 7: 33-35

About seeds and hearing...and other things:

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Yeshua from town after town, He told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” 

When He said this, He called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 

His disciples asked Him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, 

   “ ‘though seeing, they may not see; 

   though hearing, they may not understand.’ 

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. 

- Luke 8: 4-15