Matthew 13:10-17 They don’t hear, and they don’t see.
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 2, 2019, Matthew 13:10-17
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
And the disciples said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even that which he has. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not; nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said, “By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard them.
(Understanding the Text) The implication here is that Jesus spoke in parables to hide the meaning of His message from most people. Or maybe it means that the people would not understand if Jesus told them directly, but if He tells them in parables, they might get a glimmer of the meaning of the lessons. The logic starts out saying that the disciples have received the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven but not the other people. This is because when someone has a little, more will be given, but when a person does not have any, he/she will lose even more. Since the context is knowledge, then the disciples had a little knowledge and the listeners did not have even the basic knowledge they needed. Because they did not have basic knowledge, Jesus spoke to them in parables.
The interpretation is that Jesus is saying that when we gain a little knowledge, it will help us to gain more knowledge. When we gain a basic understanding of something spiritual, it will lead to more understanding. As our understanding rises, our intake of new knowledge increases. On the other hand, when we refuse to accept the knowledge that the Spirit is attempting to teach us, we will be like the prophecy of Isaiah where we have everything we need to see, hear, and understand, yet we don’t.
(Revelation of God) Jesus tells the disciples that they are the most privileged of the many prophets that He has sent out over the generations because the disciples were with Jesus face to face every day. They could touch Him and greet Him with a kiss and lay on Him. Moses had desired to see God, and could only see His backside. God had always been “other” in a way that mankind had not conceived of. God’s glory had always been a danger to sinful man’s existence, but with Jesus’ incarnation as a man, humans could once more walk with God without danger of extermination, and these twelve men were given that opportunity that even their forefather Abraham had not had.
With the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, humans entered a new era of relationships with God. I think that we may be more blessed than the prophets and righteous men of the times before Jesus also. We have the knowledge accumulated in the Bible and the Spirit to work in us in ways that He did not in the past, but I’m not sure exactly how it is different.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I need to continue to increase in my knowledge and experience of Jesus. I need to be with Him as much as possible and know Him as much as possible. I pray that I will allow You to increase my understanding and that I will hear and see and know You.