Matthew 13:11-15
Mat 13:11 (KJB)
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Here Jesus states to the disciples that the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
will be given only to those whom the Lord Jesus saves but to the rest of the
unbelieving world, the mysteries of that Kingdom are withheld. This is a form of
election where only those who are saved are privileged to know the mysteries
while the unsaved will never come to the truth of these mysteries. Divine truths
are considered mysteries because apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit, a person
will be unable to understand them. When it speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven here,
it also includes all aspects of the Gospel. (Eph 3:4 KJV) Whereby, when ye
read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Another
mystery is the mystery of Christ who was withheld in times past but is now
revealed. That revelation is for the believers only as we saw that the
Pharisees, who were supposed to be experts in the law and the Scriptures, did
not recognize Christ because He was the mystery withheld.
Mat 13:12 (KJB)
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but
whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Then Jesus gives a spiritual principle. Those who have become saved and
understand the Gospel will have their understanding increased to the point that
they will have abundant understanding. Of course, this came with the filling of
the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and right after that we saw the disciples preaching
the fulness of the Gospel and the whole story like Stephen and Peter. (Prov
9:9 KJV) Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just
man, and he will increase in learning. Then Jesus gives the other side of
the story and that those who have not, which are those who are unsaved, shall
have taken from them even what they have. That is, those who have the
external façade of religiosity and think that they have understanding will
become more apostate in their views and will walk farther away from God. In the
final analysis, all their religion and knowledge will not help them because they
will stand in the judgment and since they are found false, will be cast into the
lake of fire and thus what they had is taken from them such as false assurance
of Heaven.
Mat 13:13 (KJB)
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing
they hear not, neither do they understand.
This second answer of Jesus basically resembles the first. Jesus had done
amazing miracles from healing the sick to raising the dead right in their
presence but they had rejected the works and His teachings. Since they had shown
themselves to be rebellious, Jesus now spoke to them in parables. It was not
because they could not hear, see, or understand since many miracles were done
right in their sight but the fact was their hearts were so hardened, that they
would not see, hear, or understand. It was willful rebellion which caused this
situation.
Mat 13:14 (KJB)
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye
shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not
perceive:
Here we have the commission of Isaiah and the ministry of Jesus in parallel.
(Isa 6:9 KJV) And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but
understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. When Isaiah was
commissioned to be a prophet to Judah, right at the outset God told him that the
people he was going to minister to would reject him because their hearts had
become so hardened. They would hear his message but would not be able to
understand it. They would see but would be unable to comprehend what they were
seeing that God would send a prophet to them to bring them back so they would
not face the same judgment as the Northern Kingdom.
Mat 13:15 (KJB)
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.
(Isa 6:10 KJV) Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy,
and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. God had
basically told Isaiah that is to metaphorically put a band of fat around their
hearts so the truth will be unable to penetrate it. This would make the message
of Isaiah more unreceptive as God’s message and word. The word in the Greek for
“waxed gross” basically carries the same meaning as that of the Hebrew in
Isaiah. It means to “make fat or thicken.” Their ears had become dull of
hearing. The word “dull” carries with it the meaning of “heavy.” It can be
understood like when you are tired and your eyelids begin to feel heavy and then
they start to close. Their ears had become so heavy that their ears were closed
to the message of both Jesus and Isaiah. Then their eyes were also closed to the
Gospel. Even though they had seen the miracles Jesus did, their eyes were closed
to the reality of what took place.
The second half of this verse gives the condition that the people were in. (Exo
4:21 KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt,
see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine
hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
They were so calloused toward the true Gospel, that their hearts were hardened
whenever they heard the Gospel. Just as God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, He
hardens the heart of those who refuse to hear the Gospel causing them to become
more opposed to the Gospel. The people that Jesus was speaking to in parables
were just that way. Their hearts were hardened by the teaching of the Pharisees
for many years and that band of fat around their heart was made very thick. By
themselves, they would be unable to know their lost spiritual condition unless
God opened their hearts to the reality of it and then saved them. This is what
Jesus did. He took many of the Jews and caused them to be saved and the rest
were left in their hardened state. They would not be able to look at other who
became saved in Christ and be jealous and desire to be like them on their own.
They would have to be regenerated from the outside by the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the doctrine of election at work. By themselves, they could not save
themselves but by Christ opening their hearts to their lost spiritual condition,
they would then know of their need for a Savior.