Matt. xiii. 13 — 15. Therefore speak I to them in parables : because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, ivhich saith. By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed ; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understa7id loith their heart, and should he coyiverted, and I should heal them.
IT is certain that parabolical representations are, for the most part, obscure, and difficult to be under- stood. It may well therefore be a subject of inquiry.
why our blessed Lord adopted that method of instructing his auditors, in preference to a plain undisguised declaration of the truth ? This very- question was agitated among his own disciples, who not being able to satisfy themselves respecting it, entreated an answer from himself upon the point \ The reply which our Lord made to it is the subject of our present consideration. We shall,
L Explain the general import of the text —
The Jews in our Lord's time were extremely averse to receive instruction —
[Never were any people more blinded by prejudice than they : they heard our Lord only with a view to cavil at his word ; and asked questions of him only that they might ensnare him ; and though they were constrained to acknowledge that he spake as never man spake, they would not receive his testi- mony. They saw his word confirmed by numerous, and most stupendous miracles; and yet, instead of yielding to conviction, they were always asking for more signs. Rather than confess the hand of God in the wonders wrought by him, they ascribed them to the devil : and when that refuge failed them, they sought to destroy both him and Lazarus, lest his having raised the dead should induce the people to believe on him. The instant they saw the drift of his discourses, they accused him of opposing the law of Moses, and of blasphemy against God. In short, they shut their eyes against the light, and deter- minately resisted all the methods used for their conversion and salvation.]
They exactly accorded with the description long before given of them by the prophet —
[The words of the prophet in their literal sense, were an order to him to go and preach to the people, though he was apprised beforehand that they would not listen to him, or be converted by him. But they looked forward also to the times of the Gospel, and were a prophecy, that when Christ and his Apostles should preach to the Jews, the greater part of the nation being blinded by their own prejudices and passions, would determinately set themselves against the truth. In this sense the words were applied by St. Paul to those who rejected his ministry"^; and in this sense our Lord represents them as accomplished in his hearers.]
a ver. 10. ^ Acts xxviii. 25 — 27.