In
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:
for this people’s heart has grown callous,
their ears are dull of hearing,
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.’
Matthew 13:14-15
Matthew 13 [10.] The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
Matthew 13 [11.] He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. For 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. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. In 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:
for this people’s heart has grown callous,
their ears are dull of hearing,
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.’
Matthew 13 [16.] “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.
Meaning:
The disciples had asked Jesus why he spoke to the crowds in parables. He told them that the mysteries of the Kingdom were given to them, but not to others, “because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:13). Now Jesus explains that this sad situation was foretold centuries earlier by the prophet Isaiah.
- “In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled”
The words come from Isaiah’s call. In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord on his throne and offered himself to be sent. God then gave him a hard commission. He was to preach to a people who would hear without understanding (Isaiah 6:9-10). Isaiah’s message would expose their hardness rather than cure it, and judgment would follow. Jesus says that the same pattern was being repeated in his own generation. They were hearing God’s own Son, yet many refused to understand.
- “By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand”
The problem was not that the people lacked information. They heard Jesus’ words and saw his miracles. But hearing with the ears is different from hearing with the heart. They saw the signs but did not perceive what they meant. The parables made this visible: those who were open came to Jesus for the meaning, while the rest went home with nothing but a story.
- “This people’s heart has grown callous”
The heart in the Bible is the center of thought, will and desire. A callous heart has grown thick and unfeeling, like hardened skin. Their ears had become dull and they had “closed their eyes.” This was not an accident. It was the result of repeatedly turning away from God. The Scriptures warn, “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15).
- “And would turn again; and I would heal them”
The saddest line is the last. If they had seen, heard and understood, they would have turned to God, and he would have healed them. God’s desire is to heal. The door of repentance was closed from their side, not his. Paul quoted the same prophecy at the end of Acts, when many of the Jews in Rome refused his message (Acts 28:26-27), and Mark records it in his account of the parables (Mark 4:12).
The Significance of Matthew 13:14-15
- Hearing is more than listening
It is possible to hear sermons, read the Bible and see God at work, and still not understand. True hearing involves a heart willing to respond.
- The danger of hardening
Each time we turn away from what God shows us, our hearts grow harder. Each time we respond, they grow softer. Today is the time to listen.
- God wants to heal
The prophecy ends with God’s longing: “I would heal them.” Anyone who turns to him will find him ready to forgive and restore.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 6:9: "Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand; and you see indeed, but don’t perceive.’" The original prophecy.
Mark 4:12: "that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand;" Mark’s record of the same teaching.
Acts 28:26: "Go to this people, and say, in hearing, you will hear, but will in no way understand." Paul applies the same prophecy.
Hebrews 3:15: "Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts," A warning against hardening.
Conclusion: Jesus said that the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in those who heard his words without understanding and saw without perceiving. Their hearts had grown callous, their ears dull and their eyes closed, or else they would have turned to God and he would have healed them. The words warn us to listen with open hearts, because God longs to heal all who turn to him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible