Matthew 13:14-15
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The text doesn't just say people don't understand; it emphasizes they "indeed" hear and "indeed" see. This highlights that the failure to grasp the message isn't a lack of exposure but a chosen blindness and deafness, a willful resistance to what's plainly before them. It's a profound spiritual stubbornness, making the fulfillment of the prophecy a matter of their own decision.
Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just told the parable of the sower and has explained it to his disciples, highlighting that different people respond to God's word in different ways. He then quotes Isaiah to explain why many in the crowd, despite hearing Jesus' words and seeing his miracles, remain hardened and unreceptive to the truth. This points to a deliberate spiritual blindness rooted in their own hearts, making them unable to grasp the deeper meaning of Jesus' teachings, especially when delivered in parables.
Why did Jesus quote such a harsh prophecy when speaking to crowds? It wasn't just about the people then; it speaks to a pattern of spiritual deafness.
When Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 here, he's not just pointing fingers. This prophecy was originally spoken to Isaiah during a divine commission, describing the people of his time who were unresponsive to God's message. Matthew shows us that this spiritual condition wasn't a one-off event. The same hardened hearts, the same unwillingness to truly grasp God's truth, were present in Jesus' audience.
It's easy to blame others for not understanding, but this prophecy points to something much closer to home: our own will.
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The prophecy isn't just describing a group of people who couldn't understand; it's about people who wouldn't. The spiritual dullness is a choice.
Understand the original words
prophēteia · Greek Noun
The biblically inspired message or declaration of God's will through His servants. In this context, it refers to the historical validation of Jesus’ ministry through Old Testament revelation.
kardia · Greek Noun
The center of the human personality, encompassing the intellect, the will, the emotions, and the moral conscience. It is the seat of spiritual life or, when hardened, the seat of rebellion against God.
epistrephō · Greek Verb
To change one's mind and life's direction, resulting in a turning away from sin and a turning toward God. It is a necessary prerequisite for salvation and spiritual restoration.
iaomai · Greek Verb
The divine act of restoring spiritual or physical health. In a spiritual context, it signifies the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation of the soul to God.
This prophecy from Isaiah wasn't just a prediction; it described a spiritual reality that repeated itself. Jesus used parables precisely because many people had already hardened their hearts, fulfilling Isaiah's words about hearing without true understanding.
c. 740 BC
Isaiah's Vision and Commission
The prophet Isaiah receives a vision of God's glory in the temple, during which he is commissioned to preach, with the foreknowledge that his message will harden the hearts of many.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
Isaiah advises King Hezekiah and the people of Judah during the Assyrian siege, offering prophetic guidance amidst intense national crisis.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports a group of Judean nobility and skilled individuals, including Daniel, to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and deport the majority of the remaining population, ending the Davidic monarchy.
c. AD 28
Jesus Begins Public Ministry
Jesus begins his itinerant ministry, teaching, healing, and gathering disciples, often speaking in parables to the crowds.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus Teaches in Parables
Jesus intentionally uses parables to teach the crowds, a method that fulfills Isaiah's prophecy about hearing without understanding for those with hardened hearts.
c. AD 62
Paul Cites Isaiah's Prophecy
In Rome, Paul quotes Isaiah's prophecy to the Jewish leaders, explaining why some had not accepted the gospel message.
This is the original prophecy Jesus is quoting, describing a people whose hearts have grown hard, making them unreceptive to God's message.
John 12:37-41This passage from John's Gospel also references Isaiah's prophecy, explaining that Jesus' miracles and words, despite their clarity, were met with disbelief by many, fulfilling this very prophecy.
Acts 28:25-27Paul quotes Isaiah's words to explain why some Jews in Rome rejected his message, highlighting how persistent spiritual blindness can lead to a self-imposed deafness and blindness to God's truth.
Hebrews 3:7-11This passage warns believers not to harden their hearts as the Israelites did in the wilderness, directly referencing the unresponsiveness described in Isaiah 6 and applied in Matthew 13.
barnesMatthew 13:14: "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:"
And in them is fulfilled ... - This place is quoted substantially from Isaiah 6:9-10 . It was literally fulfilled in the time of Isaiah. In the time of Christ the people had the same character. Like them, they closed their eyes upon the truth, and rejected the divine teaching. The words of Isaiah were therefore "as we…
pulpitMatthew 13:14: "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:"
Verse 14. - And in them; and unto them (Revised Version); i.e. with reference to them (cf. Jude 1:14). Is fulfilled. Completely (ἀναπληροῦται; cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:16). The present, because the process is still going on. The prophecy of Esaias, which saith (Isaiah 6:9, 10). Not quoted in this form in the parallel pas…
The text doesn't just say people don't understand; it emphasizes they "indeed" hear and "indeed" see. This highlights that the failure to grasp the message isn't a lack of exposure but a chosen blindness and deafness, a willful resistance to what's plainly before them. It's a profound spiritual stubbornness, making the fulfillment of the prophecy a matter of their own decision.
Jesus has just told the parable of the sower and has explained it to his disciples, highlighting that different people respond to God's word in different ways. He then quotes Isaiah to explain why many in the crowd, despite hearing Jesus' words and seeing his miracles, remain hardened and unreceptive to the truth. This points to a deliberate spiritual blindness rooted in their own hearts, making them unable to grasp the deeper meaning of Jesus' teachings, especially when delivered in parables.
Jesus has just told the parable of the sower and has explained it to his disciples, highlighting that different people respond to God's word in different ways. He then quotes Isaiah to explain why many in the crowd, despite hearing Jesus' words and seeing his miracles, remain hardened and unreceptive to the truth. This points to a deliberate spiritual blindness rooted in their own hearts, making them unable to grasp the deeper meaning of Jesus' teachings, especially when delivered in parables.
"Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ear…" — The text doesn't just say people *don't* understand; it emphasizes they "indeed" hear and "indeed" see. This highlights that the failure to grasp the message isn't a lack of exposure but a chosen bli…
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Last reviewed October 2026