“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV).
As we continue with our look at 2 Timothy 4:3-4, we now stop to examine the motivating force that compels those who will not put up with sound doctrine: “…in accordance with their own lust they will heap up teachers for themselves” (Mounce).
While many are undoubtedly misled by the heretical doctrines of false teachers, this passage tells us that there are others who choose to accept such teachings because it suits their purpose. 2 Timothy 4:3 associates that purpose with “lust” (KJV), a characteristic trait of those who use others to satisfy their appetites and needs.
This means that false teachers and those who pursue them are using one another to some degree. The teacher brings a message that will curry favor with an audience. The audience corresponds by supporting that teacher as long as he or she tells them what they want to hear. To further illustrate that relationship, these verses utilize the familiar imagery of a persistent itch coupled with the depiction of a human ear.
You see, a person with an itch typically scratches that itch to make him or herself feel better. In the context of 2 Timothy 4:3-4, the itch in question is likely caused by a nagging realization that we are not everything we should be. For instance, we inherently know that certain actions are unjust (such as lying, cheating and/or stealing, to name a few examples). We recognize the injustice of such behaviors because they are inconsistent with the way we want others to behave toward us. Yet who among us has not engaged in these behaviors?
We may compile layers of justifications or rationalizations to excuse our failures in these areas, but deep down, we know we are guilty of not being everything we should be. While God graciously offers a solution to this human dilemma, others prefer to insulate themselves from such realities.
When faced with this “itch,” some prefer to scratch it by searching for spiritual teachers who will tell them what they want to hear; things that will make them feel good about themselves without the “burden” of things like repentance and submission to God’s authority. That may make us feel good for a while, but it fails to address the source of the issue. Therefore, those who choose that path must therefore continue to “…collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear” (GNT).