Matthew 13:15

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

For {G1063} this {G5127} people's {G2992} heart {G2588} is waxed gross {G3975}, and {G2532} their ears {G3775} are dull {G917} of hearing {G191}, and {G2532} their {G846} eyes {G3788} they have closed {G2576}; lest at any time {G3379} they should see {G1492} with their eyes {G3788}, and {G2532} hear {G191} with their ears {G3775}, and {G2532} should understand {G4920} with their heart {G2588}, and {G2532} should be converted {G1994}, and {G2532} I should heal {G2390} them {G846}.

because the heart of this people has become dull -- with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, so as not to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and do t'shuvah, so that I could heal them.'

For this people’s heart has grown callous; 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.’

For this people’s heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them.

Matthew 13:15, spoken by Jesus, is a direct quotation from Isaiah 6:9-10. It describes a profound spiritual condition where people actively resist understanding divine truth, leading to a state of spiritual insensitivity and a refusal to be converted and healed by God.

Context

This verse appears immediately after Jesus explains to His disciples why He speaks to the crowds in parables. He states that while it is given to His disciples to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, it is not given to others (Matthew 13:11). The quotation from Isaiah serves as a prophetic explanation for this division: many of the people of Israel, despite hearing God's Word through Jesus, had become spiritually hardened and willfully ignorant, thus fulfilling ancient prophecy.

Key Themes

  • Spiritual Blindness and Deafness: The verse vividly portrays a people who, though physically capable of seeing and hearing, are spiritually unable or unwilling to perceive divine truth. Their senses are dulled to God's message.
  • Hardening of the Heart: The phrase "waxed gross" implies a thickening or dulling of the heart, making it insensitive and unreceptive to spiritual understanding. This is a self-imposed condition.
  • Active Rejection of Truth: Crucially, the text says, "their eyes they have closed." This highlights a deliberate, volitional act of closing oneself off from light and truth, rather than a passive inability. It underscores human responsibility in their spiritual state.
  • Consequence of Unbelief: The inability to "see... hear... understand... be converted, and I should heal them" is presented as a direct result of this willful spiritual resistance. God's desire is for their conversion and healing, but their obstinacy prevents it.

Linguistic Insights

  • "waxed gross" (Greek: pachyno): This verb literally means "to grow fat" or "to become thick." Spiritually, it conveys dullness, insensitivity, or becoming unresponsive, as if the heart has become calloused.
  • "dull of hearing" (Greek: bareos akouo): Meaning "to hear heavily," it suggests a laboring or difficulty in listening attentively, often implying an unwillingness to truly process what is being heard.
  • "closed" (Greek: mukso): This is a strong verb meaning "to shut tightly" or "to close deliberately." It emphasizes the conscious and intentional choice of the people to shut themselves off from understanding and spiritual light.

Related Scriptures

This prophecy is significant because it is quoted multiple times in the New Testament to explain the rejection of the Gospel. Besides Matthew, it appears in John 12:40 and is famously quoted by Paul in Acts 28:26-27 as he concludes his ministry in Rome, lamenting the Jewish people's continued unbelief. This spiritual blindness is also described elsewhere as being influenced by "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Practical Application

Matthew 13:15 serves as a profound warning against spiritual apathy and resistance to God's truth. It highlights that understanding and responding to God's Word is not merely an intellectual exercise but requires an open heart and a willingness to listen. For us today, it underscores the importance of:

  • Humility: Approaching God's Word with a humble and receptive spirit, ready to learn and be changed.
  • Active Engagement: Not passively listening, but actively seeking to understand and apply spiritual truths.
  • Avoiding Spiritual Hardening: Guarding against cynicism, pride, or a refusal to acknowledge conviction, which can lead to a hardened heart and inability to experience God's transforming power and spiritual healing.

God desires all people to be converted and healed, but this requires a responsive heart that does not willfully close itself off from His light.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Isaiah 6:10

    Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

  • Mark 4:12

    That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.

  • Zechariah 7:11

    But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

  • John 8:43

    Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word.

  • John 8:44

    Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

  • 2 Timothy 2:25

    In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

  • 2 Timothy 2:26

    And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

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