And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand. You see indeed, but don’t perceive.’And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
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… Well, he's quoting Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter 6, verse 9 and 10. Very famous passage. You know, that's where Isaiah said, Here I am, Lord, send me. and Isaiah said, okay, what do you want me to do? God says, I want you to go to the house of Israel and I want you to give them my message, but they're not gonna listen. They're not gonna understand. They're not gonna get it. They have rejected my words, rejected my truth, seeing they do not see, hearing they do not understand. And so Isaiah said, okay, well, how long do you want me to speak to that crowd? And God says, basically, until there's no more people left in town and this whole town goes into captivity. In other words, these people have been ignoring your warnings for so long that their consciences are now seared and I am determined to send them into judgment. They were unwilling to respond. Now they're unable to respond. so back to this their understanding the crowd's understanding of jesus parables is sort of like a gauge that shows the condition of their hearts you see jesus is telling his followers they're hearing what you're hearing they're seeing what you're seeing you get it they don't get it but they don't get it because they don't want to get it. …
I. Hence we may learn the blindness of the world, that the wisdom appearing in the work of redemption is no more admired in it. God has revealed this his glorious design and contrivance to the world; sends forth his gospel, and causes it to be preached abroad, in order to declare to the world that his infinite wisdom has been engaged for man’s salvation. But how little is it regarded! There are some who have their eyes opened to behold the wondrous things of the gospel, who see the glory of God in, and admire the wisdom of it. But the greater part are wholly blind to it. They see nothing in all this that is any way glorious and wonderful. Though the angels account it worthy of their most engaged and deep contemplation; yet the greater part of men take little notice of it. It is all a dull story and dead letter to many of them. They cannot see any thing in it above the wisdom of men. Yea, the gospel to many seems foolishness. Though the light that shines in the world be so exceeding glorious, yet how few are there that do see it. The glory of God’s wisdom in this work is surpassing the brightness of the sun: but so blind is the world that it sees nothing. It does not know that the Sun of righteousness shines. Thus it has been in all ages, and wherever the gospel has been preached, ministers of the word of God in all ages have had occasion to say, Isaiah liii. 1. Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Thus the prophets were sent to many with that errand, Isa. vi. 9, 10. “Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” …
That natural men are not sensible of their blindness, and the misery they are under by reason of it, is no argument that they are not miserable. For it is very much the nature of this calamity to be hid from itself, or from those who are under it. Fools are not sensible of their folly. Solomon says, “The fool is wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can render a reason.” The most barbarous and brutish heathens are not sensible of their own darkness; are not sensible but that they enjoy as great light, and have as good understanding of things, as the most enlightened nations in the world. 2. Another degree of this misery, is of those who are judicially given up of God, to the blindness of their own minds. The Scripture teaches us that there are some such. “What then; Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.” “But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away.” “And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, and understand not; and see ye indeed, and perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and convert and be healed.” This judgment, when inflicted, is commonly for the contempt and abuse of light which has been offered, for the commission of presumptuous sins, and for being obstinate in sin, and resisting the Holy Ghost, and many gracious calls and counsels, warnings and reproofs. …