“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63)
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life …” (John 6:68)
“'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
How do mere words become a source of life? On the one hand, words are nothing but signs. They are designed to carry a message encoded in sounds and written symbols from one person to the next. This is their limitation and purpose. On the other hand, the content of the message can be explosive and deeply transforming. But the process of communication often fails. The words themselves can be understood very differently by the one sending the message and the one receiving it. So much depends on the way we process in our minds what we are hearing. And that process itself seems very much conditioned by previous experiences and the general mood a person is in at the time of hearing. And even a word that may have been incredibly meaningful and encouraging for the same person at a previous time, may fall flat in different circumstances, at a different time, in a different cultural context, or at a different stage of life.
So does everything depend on the one listening? Didn’t Jesus acknowledge this limitation when he said, “He who has ears, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:9)?
The context of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 could be understood as merely descriptive: these are the different ways the seed of God’s Word can be received and accordingly either produce life or not. Or it could be meant as a challenge: what kind of soil do you want to be? Will you not only open yourself up and receive what you’re hearing but also allow it to take root in your life? The latter makes more sense to me since God's desire and the goal of His message is intended to bring life as opposed to the goal of the enemy trying to kill it off.
Something happens in an encounter with a word that is designed to make us whole and to blossom. It opens up a possibility. It often confronts us with something surprising, something unexpected. We are told something different than what we’ve been telling ourselves and what we used to believe and accept as truth. It unveils the heart of the other and offers the chance to experience a real connection that goes beyond mere intellectual understanding. It draws us into an actual sharing of each other and a connection of heart and spirit. It becomes a source of strength and joy because of the mutually seen value in this relationship of love and trust.
How is God’s Word a source of life? It carries in itself the heart, desire and commitment of God. It has the potential to help us understand our true identity and to connect us with Him. It beckons us, invites us, keeps knocking – gently but persistently. It enables us to respond because the Holy Spirit uses it to create enlightenment, conviction and faith.
The whole process is dynamic, not mechanical. It is dependent on God’s sovereign work in our lives but it doesn’t bypass our willingness to listen, to meditate on its meaning and to respond.
