Open heart open mind

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

OPEN HEART, OPEN MIND

Matt 13:10-17

10 The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"

11 He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 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.'   16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

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We are in the middle of this narrative on the discussion between Jesus and his disciples. We already were with the parable as he voiced it to the crowd of people on the shore, from the boat he was in. Now his disciples ask why he speaks in this manner using parables. Here he explains why he does, and after which we will see next, he explains the parable to them. Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah making the point that some people just are never going to understand. What we should understand in this prophetic message is God does not shut the eyes and ears of people, but that the prophet is foretelling what is going to happen when people hear the message of the kingdom of God. There are people in the world who hear the words about Jesus, but it rolls off their ears like water on a ducks back. Certain people love the darkness, they simply do not want to come into the light. Their minds are shut off to the truth. They are so opposed to God, they say they do not believe in God, or that there is a God and therefor there is no God and what we believe is his words, they believe not. We know it is God’s desire that all men be saved,

John 12:32-33

32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

NIV

1 Tim 2:2-4

 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

NIV

So we know it is not God who shuts their eyes and ears, but he knows who will. We have been blessed to have opened our eyes and ears so that we can see the truth and hear the truth about the kingdom of God. In conjunction with the parable, we are the good soil. Jesus quoting Isaiah was demonstrating the truth of the parable. Those who are not the good soil, the other three types are those who did not see nor hear the truth or thought they heard it but it did not take hold in their hearts. Jesus also tell them that it was many years before him that men were looking, longing for him to come, but never saw the fulfillment of their longing, yet the disciples, and us for that matter, have seen him. True they were with him in the flesh and heard his voice with their ears, but we too have seen him because of the word of God. It reveals Jesus to us, the fullness of his person as one of the trinity, the divine Son of God, the Savior of the world. It does not require a high degree of intelligence to see and hear. It does not require special training or education to be able to see and hear. It does not require any form of human ability. God will do it all, if we but have an open heart and open mind.