What Does It Mean To Have Our Ears Tickled?

Paul Ellis

June 6

When I visit church websites one of the first things I look at is their sermon index. I want to see what is being preached. Do they preach the good news of Jesus? Or do they preach something else.

I'm not trying to be the Church Policeman, but we have been called to preach the good news (Mark 16:15). It's what the world most needs to hear, and if Christians don't share it, who will?

You can preach the good news a thousand different ways. You can preach it from any book in the Bible and you can illustrate it using everything from Shakespeare to Star Wars. There's no limit to how you can convey the good news of Jesus.

You don't even have to use words.

Yet it seems that many are preaching something other than the good news of Jesus. Which brings me to passage:

Preach the word… For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:2–4)

What does it mean to preach "the word"? What qualifies as "sound doctrine"? And what does it mean to have our ears tickled?

Preach the word

To preach, in this context, means to herald or speak on behalf of another. It's speaking the word of God as ambassadors of God, as though God was speaking through us (2 Cor. 5:20, 1 Pet. 4:11).

To preach the word is to proclaim Jesus, the Living Word. Preach the word does not mean teach Bible literacy. Although knowing the Bible is important, the Bible means little if it doesn't reveal the Author.

Jesus is the Living Word who gives meaning to the written word.

When we "preach the word" or "the truth" or "sound doctrine," we are telling people about Jesus Christ – who he is, why he came, and what he reveals about the character of God.

Sound doctrine is the message that Jesus is Lord of all. There is no sin, harm, or problem that lies outside his purview.

Whatever your need, Jesus is your Supply. Whatever your hurt, Jesus is your Healing. The grace of God that we all need, comes to us through a revelation of his Son.

This is what we are called to preach.

Wanting to have their ears tickled

The natural man has no interest in the things of God. The gospel of grace that is revealed in Jesus Christ sounds like foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14).

The natural man doesn't want grace. He wants principles for living and keys to success. He wants to work his way up the ladder of self-improvement.

Paul exhorted Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1), but the natural man relies on his own strength and understanding. He thinks that if he does the right things and makes the right decisions he'll pull himself up by his bootstraps. He'll impress God with his accomplishments and bless himself with his all-round goodness.

But that's a myth for ticklish ears.

Our flesh has no interest in grace. Our flesh prefers teachers who tell it what it wants to hear. What does it mean to have our ears tickled? It means we're listening to those who gratify the flesh instead of those who would point us to Jesus.

Itching ears

Since there are many kinds of flesh, there are many kinds of teachers. There are those who indulge:

political flesh: "We gotta get the right candidate elected"
vanity flesh: "You need to dress right, look good, and get a tan"
victim flesh: "Bad things will keep happening to you"
anxious flesh: "The world is going down"
performance flesh: "Make a name for yourself through success"
tribal flesh: "Our God is better than their god"
conspiracy flesh: "Powerful figures are pulling the strings"
savior flesh: "You can fix the world"
racist flesh: "They are not like us"
religious flesh: "Let me tell you how to earn divine favor"

Where are these ear-tickling teachers? They are on our social media feeds, our podcast playlists, and in the news. They are the stars of Netflix specials, bestseller lists and gossip pages. They are everywhere.

But one place these ear-ticklers ought not to be is behind the pulpit.

Preachers may talk about any subject that is relevant to their audience – social justice, welfare, racism, politics, art, language, NASCAR. But if their message ultimately does not proclaim Jesus, they are just another voice in the crowd. They have neglected their gift and missed their opportunity.

If you have found a preacher or teacher who preaches the word, in season and out, treasure them. They may well be the only person in your life who is giving you the life-giving grace of God.

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My new book, The Grace Bible: Galatians, goes on sale next month. It is the biggest and best installment in the Grace Bible series so far.

For those who can't wait, advance copies are available now on Patreon and E2R's supporters' page.