Matthew 13:10-17
Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
‘You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Most of us do something of a mental double-take when we read this short passage. Because it sounds like Jesus is saying he preaches in parables in order that people won’t listen, understand, or turn to him for healing and salvation. Actually, it doesn’t just sound that way. That actually is what Jesus is saying!
So what’s going on?
First, some context. Jesus is actually quoting the prophet Isaiah who spoke these words to Israel during a time when the Israelites were behaving badly and in no mood to hear the Word of the Lord from the prophet, let alone repent. An interesting question in that case is whether God’s edict makes the people unable to hear, or whether it God’s word rather names the condition the people were already in – that is, that they have refused to listen, understand, or turn. But even if we assume it’s the latter, we might still wonder why the prophetic oracle is framed in this almost sarcastic tone? I think it’s for effect. Because while judgment at this point in the story is unavoidable, new creation and restoration is not. Perhaps if the people hear and remember these striking words of judgment that named their stubborn refusal to be in relationship with God, they will, after the calamity of judgment falls, turn to the One who warned them and ask for help.
Second, however, it’s important to keep in mind that Jesus doesn’t just repeat Isaiah words (here or elsewhere), but rather appropriates them to make sense of what God is doing through him and his ministry. So we should also look at the narrative context as well; that is, what is going on at this part of the story? As we’ve seen, while Jesus is achieving nearly rock-start status with the crowds, opposition to him from the religious leaders and authorities is growing by leaps and bounds. Why? Because the Kingdom of God he proclaims is so new, so unexpected, and so different that it doesn’t fit the religious frameworks most people (then or now!) carry around with them. For this reason, parables – a form of speech that is as much riddle as story and that regularly defies clean interpretation – are about the only way to speak about the coming kingdom. God’s kingdom is just too much beyond our sense of what’s possible to capture in everyday speech. And so if you’re not sure you’re understanding what’s being said, that may mean you’re simply grappling with the extraordinary and unexpected character of the kingdom.
Prayer: Dear God, encounter us through parables with the unexpectedly gracious nature of life in your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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