Three views of the meaning of "he who has ears to hear, let him hear”:
Jesus often uses this clause to stress the need to pay close attention to what he has just said.
The expression
He who has ears to hear, let him hear conveys that to know the Messiah, the Angel of the Lord, one must carefully listen to the witness of John, the Scriptures, and Jesus himself. If you do not recognize the Angel of the Lord coming after John, due to your focus on the opposition to the gospel, you have not truly heeded John, the prophets, or Jesus’ words. The seemingly superfluous command to use your ears
is meant to shake people awake. Those who refuse to hear will not see why John went out into the wilderness.This solemn exhortation encourages the audience to now apply that which had been preached. Not everyone has been given spiritual ears, and whoever lacks them cannot truly understand the message. Scripture teaches that it is God alone who gives such ears (Acts 16:14–15), but that is not the focus here. The exhortation thus implies that whoever does not yet have spiritual ears must pray to receive them.
Interpretation 1:
Jesus often employs this phrase he who has ears to hear, let him hear,
which conveys that it is now particularly important to pay attention to what he is saying1
Interpretation 2:
The exclamation He who has ears to hear, let him hear used in Matthew 11:15, conveys that in order to recognize the Messiah, the Angel of the Lord, for who he truly is, one has to carefully listen to the witness of John, the Scriptures, and Jesus himself. If you do not recognize the Angel of the Lord coming after John, because you stare yourself blind by focusing only on the increasing opposition against the gospel, you have not truly heard John, you have not truly listened to the prophets, and you have paid no attention to Jesus’ instruction. The seemingly superfluous command to use your ears
is intended to shake people awake. Those who refuse to listen, to truly listen, will not be able to understand why John went out into the wilderness.2
Interpretation 3:
The solemn exhortation in Matthew 11:15 encourages the audience to now apply that which had been preached. Not everyone has been blessed with spiritual ears, and whoever lacks them cannot truly understand the message. Scripture teaches that it is God alone who gives such ears (e.g. Acts 16:14–15), but that particular point is not the focus here. The exhortation therefore implies that whoever does not yet have spiritual ears must pray to receive them3
15 Que celui qui a des oreilles pour entendre entende.