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In this chapter, we have, I. The favour which Christ did to his countrymen in preaching the kingdom of heaven to them (Mat 13:1-2). He preached to them in parables, and here gives the reason why he chose that way of instructing (Mat 13:10-17). And the evangelist gives another reason (Mat 13:34, Mat 13:35). There are eight parables recorded in this chapter, which are designed to represent the kingdom of heaven, the method of planting the gospel kingdom in the world, and of its growth and success. The great truths and laws of that kingdom are in other scriptures laid down plainly, and without parables: but some circumstances of its beginning and progress are here laid open in parables. 1. Here is one parable to show what are the great hindrances of people's profiting by the word of the gospel, and in how many it comes short of its end, through their own folly, and that is the parable of the four sorts of ground, delivered (Mat 13:3-9). and expounded (Mat 13:18-23). 2. Here are two parables intended to show that there would be a mixture of good and bad in the gospel church, which would continue till the great separation between them in the judgment day: the parable of the tares put forth (Mat 13:24-30), and expounded at the request of the disciples (Mat 13:36-43); and that of the net cast into the sea (Mat 13:47-50). 3. Here are two parables intended to show that the gospel church should be very small at first, but that in process of time it should become a considerable body: that of the grain of mustard-seed (Mat 13:31, Mat 13:32), and that of the leaven (Mat 13:33). 4. Here are two parables intended to show that those who expect salvation by the gospel must be willing to venture all, and quit all, in the prospect of it, and that they shall be no losers by the bargain; that of the treasure hid in the field (Mat 13:44), and that of the pearl of great price (Mat 13:45, Mat 13:46). 5. Here is one parable intended for direction to the disciples, to make use of the instructions he had given them for the benefit of others; and that is the parable of the good householder (Mat 13:51, Mat 13:52). II. The contempt which his countrymen put upon him on account of the meanness of his parentage (Mat 13:53-58).

The same day Jesus went out of the house,.... Where he had been preaching, and working miracles: where this house was, is not certain; it seems to have been in one of the cities of Galilee, probably Capernaum, since that was by the sea coast: the reason of his going out of the house was, either to converse with his mother and brethren, as they desired; or to withdraw himself from company, and take some refreshment by the sea side; or because it would not hold the people, and therefore he quitted it for a more convenient place. The time he went out of it, was the same day he had cast the devil out of the man blind and dumb, and had delivered himself so freely concerning the Scribes and Pharisees, who had blasphemously ascribed that miracle to the assistance of Satan; and the same day his mother and brethren came to see him, and speak to him. And sat by the sea side; either as weary, and for his refreshment, or in order to preach to the people; for, Mark says, "he began again to teach by the sea side", Mar 4:1. This was the sea of Galilee, sometimes called the sea of Tiberias.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see,.... Which is to be understood both of corporal and intellectual sight: it was their happiness to see Christ in the flesh, and converse with him in person, be eyewitnesses of his majesty, and see with their own eyes the miracles performed by him, the proofs and attestations of those doctrines they were to publish to all the world; and it was still their greater happiness, that they saw his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth: many saw him in the flesh, as they did, with their bodily eyes, but saw no beauty, nor comeliness in him, nothing amiable and desirable in him; but these saw his personal and transcendent glories, as the Son of God, his fulness as mediator, his suitableness as a Saviour and Redeemer, and all the characters of the Messiah in him; and so believed, and were sure that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God: they saw Christ, not in the promise, as Abraham, and other patriarchs did; nor through types and shadows, as the saints of the Old Testament did; to them it was given to know and understand the mysteries of grace, respecting the person, offices, obedience, sufferings, and death of Christ. And your ears, for they hear. This also must be understood of corporal and intellectual hearing, another branch of their present happiness. They heard the words of truth from the lips of that great prophet Moses said should rise up among them, like unto him, whom they should hear: they heard, with their own ears, a voice from heaven, declaring him to be the beloved Son of God, in whom he was well pleased. They heard the Gospel preached by him, not only so as to be affected with it, and give their assent to it, but also to understand it spiritually, and experimentally, and to bring forth the fruit of it; and so were that sort of hearers, signified by the good ground in the parable Christ had just delivered. The forms of speech, in which the happiness of the disciples is here expressed, seem to be in common use with the Jews, when they would extol the peculiar attainments of a man, especially in matters of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Thus, it being told R. Jochanan ben Zaccai of some persons that had expounded the work of Mercavah, that is, the beginning of Ezekiel's prophecy, and the mysterious passages in it, and what befell them, expressed himself thus concerning them (n); "blessed are you, and blessed are your children, , "and blessed are the eyes that so see".'' And elsewhere (o) mention being made of a book of secrets delivered to Solomon, and which he had understanding of, it is said, , "blessed is the eye that sees, and the ear that hears", and the heart that understands, and causes to understand, the wisdom of it.'' (n) T. Bab. Chagiga, fol. 14. 2. (o) Sepher Raziel, fol. 34. 1.

Faith perceives the mysteries of the kingdom. A person will make progress in those things he has been immersed in and will abound with an increase in that progress. But in those things he has not been immersed in, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. In other words, he suffers the loss of the law from the loss of his faith. Lacking faith, the people of the law lost even the efficacy of the law. Therefore, gospel faith receives a perfect gift, because it enriches with new fruit those things that have been undertaken. But once it is rejected, even the help of one’s former means of support is taken away.

For they not only failed to hear, but also "heard heavily," and they did this, He saith, "Lest at any time they should be converted, and I should heal them;" describing their aggravated wickedness, and their determined defection from Him. And this He saith to draw them unto Him, and to provoke them, and to signify that if they would convert He would heal them: much as if one should say, "He would not look at me, and I thank him; for if he had vouchsafed me this, I should straightway have given in:" and this he saith, to signify how he would have been reconciled. Even so then here too it is said, "Lest at any time they should convert, and I should heal them;" implying that both their conversion was possible, and that upon their repentance they might be saved, and that not for His own glory, but for their salvation, He was doing all things. For if it had not been His will that they should hear and be saved, He ought to have been silent, not to have spoken in parables; but now by this very thing He stirs them up, even by speaking under a veil. "For God willeth not the death of the sinner, but that he should turn unto Him and live."

He gives reasons why seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear. He says, “The heart of this people has been hardened … and with their ears they have been hard of hearing.” And lest we think that their hardness of heart and hearing are natural and not voluntary, Jesus alludes to the fault of the will and says, “They have closed their eyes, lest at any time they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their mind, and be converted, and I heal them.” Therefore with closed eyes they who are unwilling to perceive the truth hear in parables and in riddles.

(Verse 15) For the heart of this people has become fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily. They see without seeing, and hear without hearing. For the heart of this people has become fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily. And lest we think that the thickness of the heart and the heaviness of the ears are natural, not voluntary, he adds the fault of their own judgment and says: And they closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For amen I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.

And that we should not suppose that this grossness of the heart and heaviness of the ears is of nature, and not of choice, He adds the fruit of their own wilfulness, For they have shut their eyes.

(Quæst. in Matt. q. 14.) Otherwise; They have shut their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, that is, themselves were the cause that God shut their eyes. For another Evangelist says, We hath blinded their eyes. But is this to the end that they should never see? Or that they should not see so much as this, that becoming discontent with their own blindness and bewailing themselves, should so be humbled, and moved to confession of their sins and pious seeking after God. For Mark thus expresses the same thing, Lest they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. From which we learn, that by their sins they deserved not to understand; and that yet this was allowed them in mercy that they should confess their sins, and should turn, and so merit to be forgiven. But when John relating this expresses it thus, Therefore they could not believe because Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them, (John 12:39) this seems to be opposed to this interpretation, and to compel us to take what is here said, Lest they should see with their eyes, not as though they might come to see after this fashion, but that they should never see at all; for he says it plainly, That they should not see with their eyes. And that he says, Therefore they could not believe, sufficiently shows that the blindness was not inflicted, to the end that moved thereby, and grieving that they understood not, they should be converted through penitence; for that they could not, unless they had first believed, and by believing had been converted, and by conversion had been healed, and having been healed understood; but it rather shows that they were therefore blinded that they should not believe. For he speaks most clearly, Therefore they could not believe. But if it be so, who would not rise up in defence of the Jews, and pronounce them to be free from all blame for their unbelief? For, Therefore they could not believe, because he hath blinded their eyes. But because we must rather believe God to be without fault, we are driven to confess that by some other sins they had thus deserved to be blinded, and that indeed this blinding prevented them from believing; for the words of John are these, They could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes. It is in vain then to endeavour to understand it that they were therefore blinded that they should be converted; seeing they could not be converted because they believed not; and they could not believe because they were blinded. Or perhaps we should not say amiss thus—that some of the Jews were capable of being healed, but that being puffed up with so great swelling pride, it was good for them at first that they should not believe, that they might understand the Lord speaking in parables, which if they did not understand they would not believe; and thus not believing on Him, they together with the rest who were past hope crucified Him; and at length after His resurrection, they were converted, when humbled by the guilt of His death they loved Him the more because of the heavy guilt which had been forgiven them; for their so great pride needed such an humiliation to overcome it. This might indeed be thought an inconsistent explanation, did we not plainly read in the Acts of the Apostles that thus it was. This then that John says, Therefore they could not believe, because he hath blinded their eyes that they should not see, (Acts 2:37) is not repugnant to our holding that they were therefore blinded that they should be converted; that is to say, that the Lord's meaning was therefore purposely clothed in the obscurities of parables, that after His resurrection they might turn them to wisdom with a more healthy penitence. For by reason of the darkness of His discourse, they being blinded did not understand the Lord's sayings, and not understanding them, they did not believe on Him, and not believing on Him they crucified Him; thus after His resurrection, terrified by the miracles that were wrought in His name, they had the greater compunction for their great sin, and were more prostrated in penitence; and accordingly after indulgence granted they turned to obedience with a more ardent affection. Notwithstanding, some there were to whom this blinding profited not to conversion.

To say “lest at any time they should turn and I should heal them” points to a hardened intractability.… For he speaks in this way in order to save them, since [otherwise] he ought rather to have said nothing but have been silent, except that it is not for his own glory’s sake but for their salvation that Jesus does everything.

In all the clauses the word 'not' must be understood; thus; That they should not see with their eyes, and should not hear with their ears, and should not understand with their heart, and should not be converted, and I should heal them.

The heart of the Jews is made gross with the grossness of wickedness, and through the abundance of their sins they hear hardly the Lord's words, because they have received them ungratefully.

Do you see what the prophecy (Is. 6:9-10) is saying? You do not understand, not because I created your heart fat and dull, but because it has grown fat, although it is obvious that before it was fine and subtle. For something which grows fat was first thin. And when their heart had grown fat, then they closed their eyes. He did not say that God closed their eyes, but they did, of their own choice. They did this, He says, so that they would not turn back and be healed by Me. For they chose evil and went to great lengths to remain unhealed and unrepentant.

There follows the reason: for the heart of this people is grown fat etc. For since he had made mention of hearing, and to understand properly belongs to the mind, therefore the heart of this people, i.e., their mind, is grown fat, i.e., blinded. Why? Because just as purity is required for bodily vision, so also for spiritual vision. Hence the intellect is called the higher power, since it is supremely spiritual. The intellect grows fat when it is applied to gross and earthly things; but when it is drawn away, it is made more subtle, as in the apostles; 2 Corinthians 4:18: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. Hence these men considered nothing but earthly things. The sensual man perceives not the things that are of the Spirit of God, the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 2:14; Deuteronomy 32:15: the beloved grew fat and kicked; he grew fat and thick and gross; he forsook the God who made him, and departed from God his Savior. Likewise, it should be known that when a man hears things that do not please him, he cannot easily understand; therefore these men understood poorly, because his words did not please them. Hence it is said: and with their ears they have been hard of hearing; John 6:61: this saying is hard, and who can hear it? And their eyes they have shut etc. It happens that someone has eyes and does not see, because he shuts his eyes; hence he himself makes an impediment for himself. But some things are so hidden that unless one fixes his gaze intently, he cannot see; but if the thing is in the open, like a wall, a man cannot not see unless he shuts his eyes. Therefore, if the Lord had not worked open miracles, it would not be surprising if they did not believe; but he worked most evident miracles, and therefore they would have recognized them, had they not shut their eyes; Daniel 13:9: they turned away their eyes, that they might not see heaven etc. Hence it should be noted that in this obduracy the cause per se is man; God does not harden except by not imparting grace. God therefore hardens because he does not give grace; but man, because he places an impediment before the light. Therefore it is imputed to these men that they shut their eyes. Lest at any time they should see with their eyes. Here the damage they suffer is set down. Hence it can be understood in two ways. So that lest at any time is referred to all that follows, so that the sense is: thus they shut their eyes lest at any time etc., and in this way it is understood that this is from their malice. For some sin from weakness, some from deliberate malice. Hence these men, considering this, shut their eyes lest they understand; hence their malice is hidden. Lest they be converted and I heal them, namely, if they be converted; Jeremiah 3:14: return, you rebellious children etc. And this is the exposition of Chrysostom. And three things are set down: lest they see, lest they hear, lest they understand with the heart, and these correspond to the three things mentioned above. Augustine expounds it differently, saying: lest at any time they should see — since now they do not see with their eyes — and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. Hence Augustine says that these words could have a twofold sense, because sometimes lest at any time is put for "so that it might happen," as is found in 2 Timothy 2:25: lest at any time God should give them repentance to know the truth. But sometimes it is put for "so that it might not happen," i.e., this would happen unless we were to argue, etc. And what is it then that he says, it is grown fat? Augustine resolves this by saying that sometimes it happens that a man is proud, and it seems to him that he is very good; and the Lord permits him to fall into other sins so as to heal him of his pride. Such are the presumptuous, of whom Romans 10:3 says: not knowing the justice of God and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted themselves to the justice of God. Because therefore these men were proud, I permitted them to be blinded, so that they might see and hear, and I might heal them. And this exposition is found in the text of Mark 4:12. But the text of John 12:40 contradicts this, because there he says, therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said: he has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. They were not therefore blinded so that they might believe, but so that they might not believe. But, according to Augustine, this is a difficult question, because if they were blinded so that they might not believe, then it should not be imputed to them. Augustine resolves this: we can say that the fact that they were blinded, they merited from preceding sins. Romans 1:21: their foolish heart was darkened; for professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and there follows after, wherefore God delivered them up etc. Therefore on account of their sins he hardened and made their ears heavy, not by hardening them, but by not imparting grace on account of their sins. And we can say otherwise, according to Augustine: the heart of this people has grown fat, so that they might not see, and be converted — namely, immediately — but that persisting they might crucify Christ, and afterwards, seeing the miracles, be converted. And Augustine says that this interpretation would seem forced if we did not see that it happened this way in fact. For some are not brought back to humility unless they fall into a grave sin; so the Lord did with these men.

JESUS TEACHES BY PARABLES. ( = Mark 4:1-34; Luk 8:4-18; Luk 13:18-20). (Mat. 13:1-52) The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the seaside.