In Matthew 13 today Jesus was again telling the parable of the sower. Jesus used parables to teach the multitudes, but explained them to His disciples - when they asked! He said this about that in verses 11-17 (AMP):
12 For 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. 13
This 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.
14 In 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. 15 For 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. [Isa 6:9,10.]16 But blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. 17 Truly 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.
These people had the "power" or the "potential" to hear what the disciples heard, but they chose NOT to follow after Him! Even the disciples didn't fully understand until after they received the Holy Spirit at the New Birth. 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 (AMP) explains why:
14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. 15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him]. Today we see unbelievers who CANNOT understand the Word of God because they are spiritually dead. Once they receive Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Savior, THEN they can begin to understand the Word because the teacher of the Word, the Holy Spirit, will live IN them! Believers who do not understand the Word are those who have just decided NOT to follow on to know the Lord! Which of these are you: the unbeliever who needs to be born again; the unbelieving believer who needs to wake up; or the believing believer who knows, understands and delights in the Word of God? The CHOICE is ours! Make the WISE choice! Amen!
