Matthew 13:10-17 NIV
The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm getting hard of hearing. I have tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears which can be attributed to listening to loud music for years. It makes it difficult to hear in noisy rooms. Most of the time it's not an issue.
A bigger issue with my hearing is a mind that is preoccupied or focused on something other than what is being said. Being a good listener takes effort. I have learned to take a break from my work and relax before I'm to engage in active listening. Even then my mind drifts back to tasks I am working on. I also have difficulty hearing an opinion that differs from my own when my mind is already made up. And when music is playing in the background, I sometimes cannot concentrate on the conversation, for I am drawn to music.
Jesus was asked why He teaches in parables. He answered that He did so that those who hear will not understand and those who see will not see (assuming that sight is comprehension).
This seems kind of mean, but again Jesus is merely pointing out the obvious. The callused hearts of the Pharisees and teachers of the law is what keeps them from seeing and hearing. They do not see Jesus for who He is. They do not accept what He has to say either. Their minds are already made up about Jesus. As such these religious leaders are a fulfillment of prophecy. They are like the leaders of Jerusalem in the time prior to the destruction of the city by the Babylonians. Isaiah warned his contemporaries and now his words warn a new generation. The surprising prophetic verses are intended to pierce the heart of the listener and perhaps lead them to repentance. In the case of Jesus' opponents, it seems their hearts grow harder as they scheme for ways to end Jesus and His movement.
But those within the movement of the kingdom of heaven, with Christ as leader, are blessed. They are given spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. They comprehend that Jesus is from God. They hope in Him as the messiah. They understand His message, and when they don't understand, they ask their teacher and Jesus explains the meaning. The Pharisees aren't asking for understanding, but the followers of Christ do ask and they find answers through divine insight.
Why are they blessed? They are blessed because they are witnessing first hand the fulfillment of God's promise to restore Israel through the messiah whose kingdom of peace will have no end. That promise continues in its fulfillment to this day. The divine Christ has placed heaven on earth. It is the gathering of faithful disciples of Jesus known as the church.
Be blessed church and be a blessing.
The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm getting hard of hearing. I have tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears which can be attributed to listening to loud music for years. It makes it difficult to hear in noisy rooms. Most of the time it's not an issue.
A bigger issue with my hearing is a mind that is preoccupied or focused on something other than what is being said. Being a good listener takes effort. I have learned to take a break from my work and relax before I'm to engage in active listening. Even then my mind drifts back to tasks I am working on. I also have difficulty hearing an opinion that differs from my own when my mind is already made up. And when music is playing in the background, I sometimes cannot concentrate on the conversation, for I am drawn to music.
Jesus was asked why He teaches in parables. He answered that He did so that those who hear will not understand and those who see will not see (assuming that sight is comprehension).
This seems kind of mean, but again Jesus is merely pointing out the obvious. The callused hearts of the Pharisees and teachers of the law is what keeps them from seeing and hearing. They do not see Jesus for who He is. They do not accept what He has to say either. Their minds are already made up about Jesus. As such these religious leaders are a fulfillment of prophecy. They are like the leaders of Jerusalem in the time prior to the destruction of the city by the Babylonians. Isaiah warned his contemporaries and now his words warn a new generation. The surprising prophetic verses are intended to pierce the heart of the listener and perhaps lead them to repentance. In the case of Jesus' opponents, it seems their hearts grow harder as they scheme for ways to end Jesus and His movement.
But those within the movement of the kingdom of heaven, with Christ as leader, are blessed. They are given spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. They comprehend that Jesus is from God. They hope in Him as the messiah. They understand His message, and when they don't understand, they ask their teacher and Jesus explains the meaning. The Pharisees aren't asking for understanding, but the followers of Christ do ask and they find answers through divine insight.
Why are they blessed? They are blessed because they are witnessing first hand the fulfillment of God's promise to restore Israel through the messiah whose kingdom of peace will have no end. That promise continues in its fulfillment to this day. The divine Christ has placed heaven on earth. It is the gathering of faithful disciples of Jesus known as the church.
Be blessed church and be a blessing.
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