“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
2 Timothy 4:1-4
As a pastor, why should I reprove, rebuke, and exhort by way of preaching? Because we are in a time when people regularly ignore sound teaching in favour of false wisdom.
We’ve all had bug bites that demanded to be scratched. It feels so good to scratch, doesn’t it? Oh, the satisfaction! But afterward, the urge to scratch is not gone; in fact, the desire may even be more intense.
Scratching is satisfying and pleasurable while it’s happening, but the good feelings cease and the urge to itch returns the moment you stop. Continued scratching will mark up your skin and could leave you with permanent scars.
So what does it mean to have itching ears?
It means listening to that which we have some sense we shouldn’t.
It means giving our attention to what creates momentary enjoyment but does not satisfy true need.
It means chasing what feels good to our flesh at the expense of our spiritual health.
We all want to believe certain lies because these lies temporarily soothe the seemingly insatiable desires of our flesh. But if we give our itching ears what they want our souls will be damaged and quite possibly destroyed.
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