Jesus equates the lack of faith with never hearing the Word of God. When we consider what words are in our time twenty centuries later, we know that words just tumble over us like a waterfall and sometimes we are so inundated with words that they lose their meaning. They no longer pack the power or the punch. Right now, leading up to the first Tuesday of November, we hear the words of politicians. Mostly, we are rather cynical about what we hear.
Advertisers spend millions of dollars, choosing the right words to describe their product.
Our clothes are still dingy. They aren't as bright as sunlight even though we've used that particular detergent. But we trusted the words. What Jesus is saying and what we have to understand is that in order for us to come to faith, we have to hear the words and believe in them. Then something happens.