When Luke tells us that Jesus said, “But I say to you who hear,” it’s easy to skim past the words and focus only on the command that follows: love your enemies. But pause for a moment on that phrase. Luke is showing us that Jesus isn’t talking to the whole noisy crowd in some general way—he’s speaking directly to the ones who are really listening. It’s as if Jesus is looking out at the people before him, locking eyes with those whose hearts are open, and saying, “This part is for you.”

That little addition, “to you who hear,” makes all the difference. It’s not enough to be within earshot of Jesus. Lots of people were there. Some were curious, some skeptical, some just caught up in the moment. But there were also those who leaned in, who wanted to be changed, who had ears to hear. Luke wants us to see ourselves in that group. Do we just overhear Jesus, or are we truly listening?

This is Luke’s way of pressing us deeper into discipleship. Matthew has Jesus say, “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you,” which ties his words back to the Law. Luke, instead, widens the invitation. He puts it in front of everyone, Jew or Gentile, religious or irreligious: “If you’re really listening, this is for you.” It is a reminder that what matters most is not where you come from or what you already know, but whether you will open your ears and your heart to what Jesus is saying.

And the theme runs through the whole Gospel. Jesus says his true family is those who hear the word of God and do it. In the parable of the sower, some hear but the word never sinks in, while others, with good soil hearts, hear and hold fast, bearing fruit with patience. Even at the end of Acts, Paul sums up the whole mission of the church in terms of who will listen and who won’t.

So when we hear Jesus say, “But I say to you who hear,” we should take it personally. It’s a call to lean in, to let his words land, to let them undo our natural ways of thinking and remake us in his way. Anyone can overhear Jesus; only a disciple hears him and obeys. The real question isn’t whether the words of Jesus reach our ears. The question is whether they reach us. Are we among those who hear?