Matthew 13:10-15: a reflection

10The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. 12For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has. 13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. 14In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, ‘By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive; 15for this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, and I would heal them.’

When the disciples ask why Jesus teaches in parables, he gives a sobering answer, quoting Isaiah about people who see but do not perceive and hear but do not understand. And the diagnosis is pointed: this people's heart has grown callous; their ears are dull of hearing; and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.

Notice the tragedy in that last line. The problem is not that God is unwilling to heal; he longs to. The problem is a heart that has closed its own eyes, dulled its own ears, hardened itself, so that it cannot perceive, cannot turn, cannot be healed. The dullness is, at least in part, self-chosen: they have closed their eyes. And the terrible result is that healing stands ready, and the closed heart shuts it out.

That is a searching warning about the condition of our own hearts before God's truth. It is possible to hear and hear and not really hear, to let the heart grow callous, the ears dull, the eyes half-closed to what God is saying, until we no longer perceive it or turn and receive its healing. The remedy is to keep the heart soft and the eyes open, to come to God's word receptive rather than hardened. God longs to heal; do not close your own eyes to him. Keep your heart open, that you may perceive, and turn, and be healed.

Lord, you long to heal, but a heart that closes its own eyes and dulls its own ears shuts you out. Keep my heart from growing callous to your word, from the self-chosen dullness that no longer perceives you. Give me open eyes, listening ears, and a soft heart, that I may perceive your truth, turn to you, and receive the healing you are so ready to give.