1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.
16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 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.”
19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
In each of these paragraphs and sections, Jesus talks primarily about God's Word and the ability to hear.
Most everyone I know (Christian and non-Christian alike) has the ability to hear words. And also hear God's Word. Whether by reading the Bible, or hearing someone talk about the Bible, or by seeing someone hold up a John 3:16 sign while the kicker kicks a field goal. Everyone can hear it (in a sense), and yet Jesus is saying-- not everyone really hears it. Not everyone has a heart that can hear the voice of God. For most people, they are just words. Letters. Grammar. Syntax. But there is a type of soil and heart where, when God's Word lands, that heart has the uncanny spiritual God-given blood-bought ability to hear the holy voice of God.
God speaks, and according to Jesus, for the one who has "ears to hear" it produces 100 fold return! Can you imagine buying stocks and it producing 100 times gain? You put in $1,000 and you get $100,000? Or buying a property and it increasing in value 100 times? From $200,000 to $20,000,000? Those are human physical examples, but the point is that it conveys abundance, fullness, having no lack.
God has given true blood-bought believers the heart and the desire to hear what He has to say. And we really do desire it! The Christian longs for the very words of God! But sin is not a trivial thing that buckles like a folding chair easily. If you put up a fight against your flesh with God's Word and God's truth, you'll suffer the consequences. It will be a nasty fight. But for the true believer, God's Word is truly daily bread.