To “fall by the wayside” is to drop out, give up, throw in the towel, quit.
It can mean to stumble in your life’s walk, or to have a project side-lined in favor of some other endeavor.
The earliest use of this phrase in English comes from William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible in 1526, and in particular his version of the Parable of the Sower. Let’s take a look.
The story begins by telling us that a “great multitude had gathered, and they had come from every city. There were a lot of people there! And Jesus spoke a parable to them.
“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Luke 8:5-8 NKJV
I know we are talking about the expression, “fall by the wayside”, but have you ever considered those last 9 words?
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
I read several commentaries on what Jesus meant by this. Of course, many suggest this has a spiritual meaning. We must have the gift of the Holy Spirit to hear properly the words God wants for us to hear from the Bible.
I also like the idea that nearly everyone in that time was illiterate, so they gathered to listen to the gospel being read to them. When the narrator, whomever they might be, finished reading anything from God’s Holy Word, they would say, “He who has ears let him hear.” It was a reemphasis to remember what they had just heard. Jesus was simply doing the same. “Remember what I just told you.”
And what had He just told them? The Parable of the Sower. What does it mean? Jesus could not be clearer as He gives the disciples the clarification they asked for.
He said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Luke 8:11-15 ESV
Friend, Jesus could not have been more plain in His explanation. We need to take care that our roots are always, daily, planted deep in that good soil that Jesus talked about. The soil, that upon hearing the Word, we knew was truth.
He went on to say in verse 18, “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” Luke 8:18 ESV
Take care then how you hear.
The Greek for ‘how you hear’ is ‘pos akouo’, which translates ‘by what means or in what manner’ you hear. Then Jesus gives them the reason why they should be careful about how they hear. “For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
Is it just me, or does the sound unfair? Is this ‘rich get richer and the poor get poorer’ mentality? Where is the justness and equality in that?
“This is why it is so crucial to be very careful how you listen to God. If you do not accurately hear Him, you will lose what you think you have! But if you do hear God accurately, He will give you more truth and light and insights, and in the future, more eternal rewards.
“For the disciples, there was only one way in which they could accurately hear God. It was by staying close to Jesus and ask Him about the things they did not understand.
“Christians today are no different. There is only one way to accurately hear God. We have to read His Word, study it, and pray humbly to God, asking Him to open our eyes to His truth.
“We likewise have to leave our former lives behind and follow Jesus, listening daily to our Lord and be faithful stewards of what He has given us. We will then also receive more truth and we will also be richly rewarded when our Lord comes back. (source: quiettime.today)
There is no need to fall by the wayside. Take care how (and what) you hear. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Ask for the Holy Spirit. And thank our Heavenly Father for what He is doing in your life. Trust the process. And never, ever give up!
by Jeanette Stark – Thursday, June 29, 2023
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