Mark 4:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: so that "‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’"

NIV: so that, " ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ "

NASB: so that WHILE SEEING THEY MAY SEE, AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR, AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND IT WOULD BE FORGIVEN THEM.'

CSB: so that they may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven."

NLT: so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’ '

KJV: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

NKJV: so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”

The quote Jesus gives is a paraphrase of Isaiah 6:9–10. The context is that Isaiah should continue to preach even though the people are already hardened to his message. Like the sower who spreads seed on the hardened, rocky, and weed-infested soil as well as the fertile ground, Jesus continues to teach the crowds, even knowing they include many who will not accept what He says.

This verse begins with a Greek word, hina, which is difficult to translate in this context. Typically translated as "that," or "to," here it most likely means a natural fulfillment: Jesus spoke in parables and the people didn't understand what He was saying. Those who do not allow for a healthy measure of understanding will not perceive or understand and, therefore, will not be forgiven. Or it could refer to God further hardening the hearts of those who hardened their hearts first, like Pharaoh (Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:12). Either way, Jesus' family and some of the priests and Pharisees who later follow Jesus show that this can be a temporary condition. It's also possible that "so that" means this situation occurs "so that" Isaiah's prophecy will be fulfilled.

Matthew 13:14–15 and Isaiah 6:9–10 both say "be healed" instead of "be forgiven." In the Jewish culture, injury and illness are presumed to be punishment for sin (John 9:2), and being healed is public proof that God forgives the victim's sin. This speaks back to Mark 4:11 which explains that even Jesus' actions are in parable form—those who don't care to consider them carefully won't understand the message. The crowds who refuse to dig deeper into His message can't understand that just as it is Jesus who heals them, it is Jesus who can forgive their sins. The Pharisees and casual observers can't understand this even when Jesus spells it out for them (Mark 2:1–12).

Mark 4:10–20 follows Jesus' telling of the parable of the sower, and now and the disciples would like to understand the deeper truths in the story. Jesus made a habit of explaining parables to those who wanted to know more than the general crowd. The fact that they are curious proves that they are the good soil that will produce much fruit. Jesus explains how the growth of the seeds represent why people react differently to His message (Mark 3). The subsequent parables will go deeper into what it will take for the gospel to spread successfully. You can also find this account in Matthew 13:10–23 and Luke 8:9–15.

Jesus speaks in parables to the assembled crowd, giving them an opportunity to decide how much spiritual truth they want to absorb. The disciples, wanting to learn more, ask Jesus to explain the meaning of the parables He has taught. As Jesus explains these ideas, He demonstrates that a person's spiritual knowledge is based on their willingness to pursue truth. After describing Jesus' teaching in some detail, the Gospel of Mark describes how Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Mark 3 explores the different ways people react to Jesus' teaching and miracles. They either follow Him, use Him, hide Him, or destroy Him. In Mark 4, Jesus explains why people react the way they do. He uses parables to explain who is serious about learning from Him. The softer a person's heart is, the more truth God will reveal. Soon, the twelve will also spread Jesus' message, although they will not be responsible for the spiritual growth of those who believe. The following chapter returns to depicting Jesus' miracles, including two of His most famous.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.