We're looking at Matthew 13:10-15 today. Jesus has just finished telling the parable of the sower in verses 1-9 and His disciples want to know why He speaks to the people in parables:
10Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
11And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand.
14In them indeed is the process of fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: You shall indeed hear and hear but never grasp and understand; and you shall indeed look and look but never see and perceive.
15For this nation's heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them.
Every person ever born has the potential to understand the Word of God, IF THEY WANT TO! That's the key! Hosea 6:3 says "then shall you know, IF you follow on to know...". James 4:8 says "Come close to God and He will come close to you." We have to make the first move and then God will see to it that we have every opportunity to know Him! It still will take a daily commitment to the Word to really KNOW Him! Jesus goes on to say in verses 16-17:
16But blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.
17Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men [men who were upright and in right standing with God] yearned to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Let's be so grateful that it has been given unto us to know Him and His Word! How do we demonstrate that gratefulness? GET TO KNOW HIM! You'll be so glad you did!
Shalom in Him!
