So that ‘Even though they look, they will not see. even though they hear, they will not understand.. so that they will not turn back, and it be forgiven them’ (Isa. 6:9-10).”
These words seem harsh at first glance, but they must be understood in a prophetic context (Isaiah 6:9-10). Christ refers to the condition long described by the prophets: when people have become so hardened that even in the presence of truth they remain blind and deaf. God does not arbitrarily shut people’s eyes. Rather, by their stubbornness, disobedience, and rejection, people reach a state where the truth no longer enlightens them, but judges them. In that case the parables become not only a means of teaching, but also reveal the true condition of hearts. Whoever is humble understands more (Psalm 25:9). Whoever is proud and closed off becomes even more blinded. This word is also a call to sobriety: one cannot play with the word of God. Listening with indifference for a long time can bring the heart into a dangerous darkness.