QUESTION: Are we indeed only responsible for what we say and not how people understand us?

Hearers also share in the responsibility of understanding the messages they receive. The Bible puts some responsibility on those who hear. The Parable of the Sower suggests that the seeds were all potent. The problem was with the grounds where they fell. God’s word can be clearly explained and still not be properly imbibed for fruitfulness.

Apostle Peter warned that the Scriptures can be twisted by unlearned and unstable people. (2 Peter 3:16) In that case, the responsibility is borne by the one who twisted the Scripture, not the writer or God. They twist to their own destruction. We are free to from our opinions, but we may not be free from their outcome.

We also know that God will hold us accountable to the revelation of Himself that He has given unto us. Apostle Paul says people are without excuse because even nature reveals the Creator (Romans 1:19-20). Those who exchange His glory for creatures will be judged because, according to God, they should have known. This is what God says. I believe Him. But my point is, it is an example of hearers (people on the receiving side of a communication), bearing the blame for their rebellion. Please observe that this is not merely a misunderstanding, in the case of God. God ensures that they are without excuse. So any seeming misunderstanding is not a miscommunication but a justifiably punishable rebellion. We must do same. I don’t mean punishing rebellion. I mean, uping our communication so much that people are without excuse. They may rebel, but they can almost never misunderstand us because our argument was not clear enough. God help us.

Two attitudes will help listeners hear and understand well. I will simply call them Listening and Processing. My favorite example of listening in the Word of God came from Cornelius and his household.

‘So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”’ (Acts 10:33, NKJV)

It is important to HEAR. One of the statements Jesus repeated the most was, “He who has ears, let him hear”. We must listen carefully to what people say. We must remove the biases, prejudices and distractions. We must deal with every noise that we know about. If you are hungry and it makes you angry, reschedule the conversation. If you are sleepy, postpone it. If English language is a problem, get a translator. If the vocabs are too big, open a dictionary. If a verse is not clear, open the Bible to read it yourself. If a version is not clear, try a different version. Remove every noise. Be thirsty for understanding. Take them sentence after sentence. Pause the video and replay. Read the lines and between the lines. Cornelius’ household prepared to listen. They readied their ears, minds and hearts. The result was a penetration of God’s Spirit. Their ground was fertile.

The Bible also says that Paul identified faith in one of his listeners through the way he was receiving the message. This man was imbibing.

“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. THIS MAN HEARD PAUL SPEAKING. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” (Acts 14:8-10, NKJV)

The man was visibly attentive. His hearing could be seen. Everyone heard Paul speaking?! But this man HEARD Paul speaking, and Paul saw him HEARING. He received the word of God as a fertile ground. Faith sprang in him. Paul must have known with the help of the Spirit from the cripple’s face and body language that this sheep was hearing the voice. Because he heard, faith was born in him. He received his miracle that day. Do we know what we miss by not paying attention?

We must have good ears. And when the Word is from God, we must open our hearts. We must be attentive, present in mind and spirit. We should be actively involved in the communication process. Don’t be absent-minded. One may think that this posture poses threat of consuming rubbish. I beg to differ. It is easier to spot nonsense when you are attentive than when you are not. To listen carefully implies both vigilance and earnestness.

The second important example comes from the Bereans. They listened carefully, and went on to confirm what they heard by checking the sources. Analyzing or processing information is part of or continues the listening process. You must understand what has been said. But you must also compare it to Scripture. This means that the responsible congregant does not rely soly on the pastor for their nutrition. They must be serious students of the Bible.

Responsible hearers also ask questions when they don’t understand something. They are humble enough to learn that they did not know, they were wrong, or there was more. If your pride blocks you from receiving a sound teaching, you will bear the responsibility. Other things can block your view to otherwise clear teachings, as we have discussed. Sometimes, it’s just difficult to accept that you have been wrong. Sometimes, it’s because you are a slow learner. Sometimes, it’s because you like talking. You don’t listen! Sometimes, it’s because you judge too quickly. Whatever it is, those of us on the listening side owe a responsibility too. It is not a responsibility of swallowing everything thrown at us. It is a responsibility of judging what we have heard, accepting what is true and discarding what is false. And also, living by the truth. God’s word is truth.

One instance of noise we must learn from happened with King Agrippa. Though Paul the Apostle spoke convincingly, he refused to be persuaded. He had to quickly excuse Paul because he did not want to be convinced. (Acts 26:19-29) Hearers have a duty to embrace truth instead of willingly close their eyes to it. We will be judged by the light God exposes to us, even if we pretend not to see. Anytime God speaks to you, a responsibility falls on you. You cannot run from it.

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” (John 15:22, NKJV)

Understanding is a mental reality. You may refuse to acknowledge it, but you are without excuse.

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Shalom