This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For 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.
– Matthew 13:13-17
The Story of Zechariah
Interpretation is a funny thing. We can read the same book but have different takeaways. We can listen to the same sermon, but God can speak to us differently. In this passage from Jesus, many people heard the message from Jesus but heard very different things. Some heard nothing at all.
The Pharisees who understood and knew the Jewish law best had the hardest time understanding Jesus’ teachings. They were too stuck in their own perspective. They had spent years learning one way of religion and carried their own bias because of it.
We all carry our own biases, even if we don’t know it. Things like your family upbringing, cultural background, and social influences can cause bias and a narrow way of thinking—good or bad. The Pharisees are a prime example and reminder to us all that even the most knowledgeable in biblical theology can miss the heart of the gospel. If we allow our “heart to become calloused,” we’ll remain just like a Pharisee.
As believers, we’re called to have the mind of a theologian and the heart of a disciple, to be biblically sound AND empathetic to the world around us. To “see and hear” the true message of Jesus, we must engage our minds in scripture and our hearts in the people and communities around us. This is the true gospel message.
Reflect
Do you have any biases? Has your upbringing impacted the way you view others or even the church itself? How can you, as a carrier of the gospel, share the true message of Jesus with the world around you?
Pray
God help me see people like you see them. Open my ears to hear the true messages of the gospel. Would you give me wisdom to discern messages that are truly from you. Would you soften my heart to the world around me so that I can love like you loved. Would you help me carry the gospel message in the same way you did. In Jesus’ name, Amen.