Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus told His disciples, “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that he has. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand”, and in chapter thirteen and verse fourteen of his book, Matthew wrote how Jesus tells His disciples about, “eyes” that are “closed” and “ears” that are “dull” where we read:
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.
The verse reads, “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;” Matthew began with the word, “for” which means “because, since and on account that” “this people's heart” or “the multitude's soul or mind as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes and endeavors” “is waxed gross” which means “is made thickened, fattened, stupid, dull and callous”, “and their ears” or “and the multitude's faculty for hearing, discerning, perceiving and understanding” “are dull” or “heavy with difficulty” “of hearing” which means “pertaining to perceiving, discerning, comprehending or observing”, “and their eyes” or “and the people's eyes used for sight and vision” “they have closed” which means “the multitude has shut or shut down”. Matthew shared how Jesus continued Isaiah's prophesy concerning people as he declared how their “souls and minds” would be “stupid and callous”, their “ears” would have difficulty understanding or perceiving what is declared and their “eyes” would not “see” because they “shut them”.
The verse continues, “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.” Matthew added the word, “lest at any time” or “that perhaps or haply” “they should see” which means “the multitudes would perceive, notice, discern and discover” “with their eyes” or “using their faculty of seeing and vision”, “and hear” which means “and perceive, understand and comprehend” “with their ears” or “using their bodies' ears”, “and should understand” which means “and would comprehend, consider and put together mentally” “with their heart” or “with the people's soul and mind”, “and should be converted” which means “and would return, come back, revert and turn about”, “and I” which refers to “and God” “should heal them” or “would cure the people, make them whole and free from errors and sins as to bring about their salvation”. Matthew shared how Jesus continued Isaiah's prophesy as he declared if the people would “see, hear and understand”, they would “return to God”, and He would “cure them, make them whole and provide salvation to them.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how compassionate God is toward people. Though they reject and refuse His offer of salvation through His Son Jesus, if people will only see, hear and open their minds and hearts to Him, He stands ready to “save them” and make them “whole”. Those who are reading these words should examine their “eyes, ears and heart” to discover if they are “dull, stubborn, callous and without vision” toward the things of God, and if they find they are, let them turn their lives over to Jesus who solely is able to save them and make them whole.
Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told His disciples, “blessed are your eyes … and your ears”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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