Hearing but not understanding

are you still confused…

10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” 11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. ~matthew 13:10-17~

what is a parable? i had to look it up to get a better definition, here’s what i found on Christianity.com’s website:

What is a parable in the Bible? In short, it is -

a simple story to provide a more profound lesson or teaching! From the divine wisdom of Jesus Christ, we can learn transcendent, everlasting truths in the simple parables of the Bible.

this is how Jesus taught people. for some after listening to Him speak, they could not grasp, even slightly, what He meant, while others it was made clear and simple. how come you ask, that the first group couldn’t ‘get it’ - verse 15 gives us the answer: their hardened hearts refers to “a negative condition in which the person ignores, spurns, or rejects the gracious offer of God to be a part of his or her life” - taken from BibleStudyTools.com. it also refers to that they cannot hear; which i believe is not that they’re deaf (hard of hearing), but they just choose not to accept so they are tuned out from receiving the message. the not seeing part is like when you purposely ignore something because you don’t want to do it, don’t talk to someone because you are afraid of what you might hear, shut your eyes so you can ‘technically’ say you didn’t get a look at it which absolves you of any wrongdoing. whichever it is, you choose to shut yourself from reality - that you will have to face the music sooner or later, or that you are missing out on something incredible because of your ignorance.

i’m pretty sure i and a lot of you would feel the same if we were left out in the cold when things were discussed or that everyone else understood and your are still lost. it’s like being in school and everything that was covered by the teacher went way over your head while the rest could recite or paraphrase what was discussed.

i’ve been there and it sucks. this is why it is so important not to turn away from what God is trying to teach you, wanting you to learn and understand, to draw closer to Him. verse 15 comes with a promise - To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. this is what we, as brothers and sisters-in-Christ need to aim for. consistent, deliberate time invested in knowing our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus - through prayer and getting into The Word of God is the key.

Father God, i want more understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. help me when i am in Your Word, enlighten the pages; let the lessons be applied to my family and my life; allow it to help us grow in our relationship with you, and to know what your will and your purpose for our lives is. reveal Your Truths through Your Holy Spirit, and imprint them on my heart and in my mind. help me to clearly hear you and to take the lessons you are teaching and apply them to our lives. in Jesus’ loving and kind name i pray, amen!