31. Hearing of the Lord Jesus Christ
31
Hearing of the Lord Jesus Christ1
A certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet.
—Mark 7:24–25
What had she heard?
1. That Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel, and could, and was willing, to heal her daughter. Two things are here observable: (1) Hearing of Christ drew her to Christ. (2) It is good to border2 with Christ, and to be near at hand to Him. There is a necessity that we hear of Christ before we come to Him. This is God’s way: “Faith cometh by hearing” (Rom. 10:17). Christ is not in us from the womb; faith is not a flower that grows out of such a sour and cold ground as nature; it is a stem and a birth of heaven.
2. None can come to Christ, except they hear a good report of Him. How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? Those who come aright to Christ must have noble, high, long, deep, and broad thoughts of Jesus and know the gospel. Now, what is the gospel? Nothing but a good report of Christ. You must hear a gospel-report of Christ before you come to Him; ill-principled thoughts of Christ keep many from Him. “[Strangers] shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand” (1 Kings 8:42). Christ was to be heard by the deaf Gentiles: “In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book” (Isa. 29:18). We hear, and we hear not, because the Lord does not waken the ear, morning by morning, that we may hear as the learned. Many hear, but they have not the learned ear or the ear of such as have heard and learned of the Father. Many hear of Christ, a voice, and no more but a voice; they know not that prophecy, “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isa. 30:21). There is another voice in our hearing; men do not hear, that they may hear. “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see” (Isa. 42:18); that is, hear that you may hear, see that you may see. The Lord gives grace that He may give grace, and we are to receive grace that we may receive grace; grace is the only reward of grace.
3. We hear and we hear not; we see, but we have no reflex act upon our seeing. Many open their ears to Christ, but they hear not; they want a spiritual faculty of observing. “Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not” (Isa. 42:20).
Many put Christ in an ear without a bottom or in an ear with a hole in its bottom; we hear of Christ, but we are as leaking and running out vessels (Heb. 2:1). “Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?” (Isa. 42:23).
Physicians give their three causes of deafness. (1) When there is carnosity3 on the eardrum. This is extrinsic: the world is another lover, and the care of it; and that hinders hearing. (2) When the organ of hearing is hurt and distempered, as a lame hand that cannot apprehend: now, when there are false fancies and principles contrary to the gospel in the heart, the ear cannot hear. (3) When there is abundance of humors in the brain, and they raise a noise and tumult in the drum and hinder sounds to be heard. When pride and principles of sensuality and vain pleasures make a noise within so that neither Christ knocking nor His voice without can be heard, men are deaf.
1. Trial and Triumph, sermon 5.
2. border: lie on the border with; touch along a boundary
3. carnosity: a fleshy growth