Matthew 13:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

NIV: But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

NASB: But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

CSB: "Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.

NLT: But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

KJV: But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

NKJV: But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

Christ has compared the Israelites of His generation to those of Isaiah's era. Both generations will be guilty of hearing and seeing the truth while refusing to listen to or accept the truth. Both generations refused to repent. In the case of Jesus' generation, the religious leaders and the people had heard the voice of the Son of God teaching them clear truth. They have seen the miracles of the Son of God with their own eyes. Still, they refused to accept that message—they deliberately and stubbornly chose to reject that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the bringer of the kingdom of heaven.

That's why Jesus is teaching in parables: to keep them from understanding what they have already refused to understand (Matthew 13:10–15).

Here, Christ turns His attention back to His disciples. This refers to the Twelve (Matthew 10:1–4) and probably other committed followers. Their eyes and ears are blessed, because they choose to really see and hear. They understand what Jesus is teaching because they believe that Jesus is the Messiah (John 7:17). They obediently follow truth where it is meant to lead, based on what they have seen and heard. They understand, and so God gives them understanding (Matthew 13:11–12).

Matthew 13:10–17 comes in between Jesus' telling of the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1–9) and His explanation of that story (Mathew 13:18–23). The disciples ask why Jesus so often uses parables when teaching crowds of people. According to Jesus, the disciples are privileged to know secrets that the prophets and righteous people longed to know. His use of unexplained parables, in part, is because Israel has rejected Jesus as the Messiah. This will fulfill Isaiah's prophecy about those with dull hearts who will hear without understanding. Otherwise, they would turn and be healed.

Matthew 13 focuses mainly on a series of parables. Jesus first describes these to a large crowd along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Later, in a house, He explains to the disciples the meanings of the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the fish caught in the net. Jesus then travels to Nazareth, teaches in the synagogue, and is rejected by the people of His original hometown.

Matthew 13 follows Jesus from the overcrowded house at the end of the previous chapter to a crowded beach on the Sea of Galilee. He teaches a large crowd in a series of parables, which He doesn't fully explain. However, He reveals their meaning to His disciples inside a nearby house. Jesus pictures the kingdom of heaven as a sower, a sabotaged field of wheat, a mustard seed, and a pearl dealer, among other things. He then travels to His original hometown of Nazareth where He is rejected by the people He grew up with. This leads Matthew back to depictions of Jesus' miracles, after sadly recording John the Baptist's death.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.