But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.
Mt.13:16,17
Jesus has explained to his disciples that he speaks in parables to overcome the willful deafness of the people who are fearful of being converted to God. However, the disciples see and hear, so they receive wisdom and happiness.
I have struck willful deafness when speaking on topics like abortion, euthanasia and, more recently, vaccine mandates of all things. It's like suddenly I'm speaking a foreign language and no amount of words makes any difference. When Jesus struck audiences like this he turned to parables.
Everyone loves a story. Parables are stories with a point. They sneak the point into a person's heart via the back door. Nathan used the parable of a slaughtered ewe-lamb to convict David's sinful and stubborn heart.
When speaking of Godly things to willful unbelievers I need to remember I'm speaking to a deaf person and look for a story, a parable, that will open their ears and eyes and ultimately, their hearts.
Jesus, sometimes I am willfully deaf, especially when fixated on what I know to be wrong. Unblock my ears so they may hear and receive happiness and wisdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment