Rat Poison
Take heed therefore how ye hear: (Luke 8:18)
Tourists to Mexico are often shocked when they find bottles marked “Vanilla Extract” for sale at a surprisingly low price. Pure vanilla extract in the U.S. is rather expensive. The reason is that artificial vanilla can be made more cheaply than the real thing. The inexpensive product, such as is sold in large bottles in Mexico, is artificial, containing synthetic vanillin. Its taste is very similar to the real thing. An inexperienced person could not tell the difference. One ingredient in the fake version is a flavor enhancer. This helps make the flavor more appealing.
The popular story is that rat poison also contains a flavor enhancer. The association goes like this: Rat poison contains a flavor enhancer. Fake vanilla contains a flavor enhance. Therefore, Mexican artificial vanilla contains rat poison. This claim is totally false yet that is the way many people's minds work (or do not work). Of course this gets repeated by mindless people until it turns into “fact”. Kind of sounds like the Christian church world. Repeat, rehearse, rehash until it turns into “Holy Doctrine”. Never mind that the Scriptures never say such things. Ironic that in our modern information age we rely, in a practical sense, on something like a Folk Religion.
Hence, the words of Jesus warning us to “Take heed to HOW you hear...”
I'm sure that any pastor or teacher, after giving a talk, has had someone approach him saying, “I really liked your illustration about _____”.
Or
“I disagree when you said _____.”
...when you have said no such thing. People hear what they want you to have said, not reality. Of course, we want our hearers to make a personal application, if appropriate. However, people are generally not in reality. The associations they often make are disturbing. Maybe part of the problem is that we might not be good communicators. In either case, Jesus warned us that not hearing with a good and honest heart has dangerous consequences.
What did the pastor actually say? What did Jesus really say? What does the Bible plainly tell us?
If we do not hear properly, no one is responsible except us. A great responsibility is placed upon the messenger but also, an immense responsibility is placed upon the hearer so it's really important.
Dec. 23, 2025