Hearing and Measuring
Hearing and Measuring "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you." Mark 4:24 (ESV) The King James Version of this verse more accurately follows the original Greek: "Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given." Mark 4:24 (KJV) The emphasis of this verse is upon hearing with understanding . Jesus earlier ended a message to a crowd by saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 4:9) The disciples of Jesus lacked understanding, just as much as the crowd. They asked Him to explain why he spoke obscurely, using symbolic stories or parables, rather than plain, simple language. His answer indicated that the stories were a proof or test: "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see but not ...