As I am sitting here and pondering God's words in Matthew 13 I have often been wondering why God split up the speaking of the parable of the sower and the explanation of the parable with an exposition of Isaiah 6... and I think that it just began to hit me as I was typing out Matthew 13:18-19. Jesus' exposition of Isaiah 6 gives us an understanding of apostasy and how it begins to work in the hearts and lives of people, as well as a pattern for repentance.
According to verse 15, the first thing to happen with an apostate is that their heart waxes gross. It is out of the heart that cometh forth the things that defile a man, not the things that come from without (Matthew 15:18); wickedness begins in the heart and works its way out through words and actions (Matthew 12:34-35). It is because of these truths that God says in His Word all over the place that He desires our heart (Prov 23:26), and therefore it should be of no surprise that apostasy begins with the heart.
The next thing that happens in the progression towards apostasy is the ears become dull of hearing (vs 15). The word "dull" used in this passage has the sense of becoming heavy (Isaiah 6:9-10); it's almost as if something spoken is repeated over and over and over and over to the point where it no longer has any effect upon the listeners. The way we use dull today has the same kind of meaning; when a person takes a knife and uses it over and over and over without taking care of the blade, to sharpen it, it becomes dull and useless. Once the heart has become sickly and gross, the ears become heavy because the Word is not believed and received as it ought to be in order to turn the gross heart into a pure vessel fit for the Master's use (1Thess 2:13; 2Tim 2:21).
Lastly, after the ears become dull the eyes will close (vs 15). What is interesting about the way that Jesus speaks these words is that He says, "their eyes they have closed". At this point in time when the heart has waxed gross and the ears have become heavy, they will then choose to close their eyes out of their own will and desire. This is the point where rebellion has progressed to the point where it becomes very evident to all that fear God and desire to keep His ways. These individuals are no longer believing and receiving God's Truth, allowing their ears to take in God's commandments and statutes, and permitting their eyes to stay open to their own ways and the truth that is set so evidently plain before their face.
After Jesus lays out the pattern of apostasy in the beginning of verse 15, he then explains in the rest of the verse what cannot happen due to their unwillingness to repent: "lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand in the heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." Here we can plainly see that the pattern for revival is the exact opposite of the pattern of apostasy. In order for someone to experience true repentance in the heart and life they must first open their eyes and see their life as it is in truth, according to God's Word. If they are unwilling to make the decision to open their eyes and acknowledge the truth for what it is as truth, there is no way that they can take any step away from apostasy and towards repentance. After opening their eyes and acknowledging the truth about their life, they must hear with their ears. We are not smart enough to know how to deal with our mess on our own and by our own wisdom; we need to hear the Word of God to know what to do and how to do those things that will produce the fruit in our life that is pleasing to Him. Once the eyes are open and the ears have heard, understanding needs to take place in the heart about that which was seen and heard. An individual must see what is wrong before their face, acknowledge the truth, hear additional truth from God's Word in order to know what corrective actions to take in their life, and then have the understanding and discernment in their heart to purpose themselves towards obedience. Then, after all these things will God be able to convert them and heal them from the chains of apostasy.
God's Word makes things so clear... I love it! He truly is incredible...
According to verse 15, the first thing to happen with an apostate is that their heart waxes gross. It is out of the heart that cometh forth the things that defile a man, not the things that come from without (Matthew 15:18); wickedness begins in the heart and works its way out through words and actions (Matthew 12:34-35). It is because of these truths that God says in His Word all over the place that He desires our heart (Prov 23:26), and therefore it should be of no surprise that apostasy begins with the heart.
The next thing that happens in the progression towards apostasy is the ears become dull of hearing (vs 15). The word "dull" used in this passage has the sense of becoming heavy (Isaiah 6:9-10); it's almost as if something spoken is repeated over and over and over and over to the point where it no longer has any effect upon the listeners. The way we use dull today has the same kind of meaning; when a person takes a knife and uses it over and over and over without taking care of the blade, to sharpen it, it becomes dull and useless. Once the heart has become sickly and gross, the ears become heavy because the Word is not believed and received as it ought to be in order to turn the gross heart into a pure vessel fit for the Master's use (1Thess 2:13; 2Tim 2:21).
Lastly, after the ears become dull the eyes will close (vs 15). What is interesting about the way that Jesus speaks these words is that He says, "their eyes they have closed". At this point in time when the heart has waxed gross and the ears have become heavy, they will then choose to close their eyes out of their own will and desire. This is the point where rebellion has progressed to the point where it becomes very evident to all that fear God and desire to keep His ways. These individuals are no longer believing and receiving God's Truth, allowing their ears to take in God's commandments and statutes, and permitting their eyes to stay open to their own ways and the truth that is set so evidently plain before their face.
After Jesus lays out the pattern of apostasy in the beginning of verse 15, he then explains in the rest of the verse what cannot happen due to their unwillingness to repent: "lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand in the heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." Here we can plainly see that the pattern for revival is the exact opposite of the pattern of apostasy. In order for someone to experience true repentance in the heart and life they must first open their eyes and see their life as it is in truth, according to God's Word. If they are unwilling to make the decision to open their eyes and acknowledge the truth for what it is as truth, there is no way that they can take any step away from apostasy and towards repentance. After opening their eyes and acknowledging the truth about their life, they must hear with their ears. We are not smart enough to know how to deal with our mess on our own and by our own wisdom; we need to hear the Word of God to know what to do and how to do those things that will produce the fruit in our life that is pleasing to Him. Once the eyes are open and the ears have heard, understanding needs to take place in the heart about that which was seen and heard. An individual must see what is wrong before their face, acknowledge the truth, hear additional truth from God's Word in order to know what corrective actions to take in their life, and then have the understanding and discernment in their heart to purpose themselves towards obedience. Then, after all these things will God be able to convert them and heal them from the chains of apostasy.
God's Word makes things so clear... I love it! He truly is incredible...
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