A rich man was trying to find his daughter a birthday gift when he saw a poor man with a beautiful white horse.  He told the man that he would give him $500 for the horse.  The poor man replied, "I don't know, Mister.  It don't look so good," and walked away.

            The next day, the rich man came back and offered the poor man $1000 for the horse.  The poor man said, "I don't know, Mister.  It don't look so good," and again, walked away.

            On the third day, the rich man offered the poor man $2000 for the horse and said that he would not take "No" for an answer. The poor man agreed.  The rich man paid the money and took the horse home. The rich man's daughter loved her present.  She quickly climbed onto the back of the horse which immediately galloped headlong into a tree.

            The rich man rushed back to the poor man's house, demanding an explanation for the horse's apparent blindness.  The poor man replied, "I told you!  It don't look so good!"

            Listening is, indeed, important.  Understanding, however, is just as important, if not more so. The rich man heard the words of the poor man, but he did not grasp their meaning.  If one does not understand what he or she is being told, then the words spoken are of little value.

            In Matthew 15:10, Jesus said to a crowd, "Hear and understand."  Jesus knew the importance of words, but He also recognized the need for the people to understand.  In the parable of the sower, He explained the difference between those who hear only and those who both hear AND understand.  Matthew 13:19 reads, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart..."  Then, in Matthew 13:23, Jesus taught, "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." What a difference!

            The Bible is the greatest book that has ever been written, yet it is only a collection of good words to those who do not understand it. Reading God's word is wonderful, but studying it to gain understanding is far better.  Hear AND understand.  Otherwise, you may as well ride a blind horse headlong into a big tree!

            Kevin's Komments is written by Kevin Patterson and presented by the Sebring Parkway church of Christ assembling at 3800 Sebring Parkway, Sebring, FL 33870.  Find them on the internet at www.sebringcoc.com