Open Eyes, Open Ears, Open Heart

Jesus did not speak those words in Matthew 13:15 as a soft observation. He was exposing a real spiritual condition. “For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:15)

That is the tragedy. The problem was not that truth was missing. The problem was that the people did not want it. Their ears were there, but they would not hear. Their eyes were there, but they would not see. Their heart was there, but it had grown dull toward God. When the heart hardens, truth can stand right in front of a person and still be rejected.

This was not new. God had already said the same thing in Isaiah’s day. “Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9–10) The issue was never that God had failed to speak clearly. The issue was that people did not want to turn.

That is why Jesus spoke in parables. The parables did not hide truth from hungry hearts. They exposed hard hearts. Those who wanted the truth would come closer, listen, ask, and receive. Those who did not want the truth would hear the story and walk away unchanged. As Jesus said, “while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.” (Mark 4:12)

Everything comes back to the heart. Scripture says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) A hard heart does not happen all at once. It forms little by little through resistance, pride, excuses, and delay. A person hears the truth, feels conviction, and pushes it away. Then it gets easier the next time. Then easier again. Before long, they can sit under the Word of God and feel almost nothing.

That is why David cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) He knew the answer was not found in trying harder with a stubborn heart. The heart itself had to be dealt with by God.

And that is exactly what God promised. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) Only God can take a heart that has gone cold, dull, and resistant and make it tender again. Only God can open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears, and awaken a dead soul.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) That does not mean sinless perfection. It means a heart made clean before God, a heart that is no longer playing games, a heart that is honest, yielded, and ready to receive what God says. The pure heart sees what the proud heart misses.

That is why Hebrews warns so plainly, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:15) That warning still stands. Every time God speaks through His Word, the heart moves in one direction or the other. It softens or it hardens. It bows or it resists. No one stays neutral for long.

The world will fight hard against an open heart before God. It wants people distracted, entertained, busy, and numb. But the Lord calls His people to something else. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) That kind of transformation does not begin with outward religion. It begins when the heart opens to the truth and stops shutting God out.

Matthew 13:15 is a warning, but it is also mercy. Jesus said that if they would see, hear, understand, and return, He would heal them. That is the heart of Christ. He is not mocking the blind. He is calling them to come. He is not turning away the one who hears His rebuke. He is showing the only path to healing.

Open eyes, open ears, and an open heart do not come from man’s wisdom. They come when a person stops resisting God and starts yielding to Him. The one who truly wants the truth will find that God is ready to give it. The one who truly turns will find that Christ is ready to heal.

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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” – Dean Butler

This work may be shared for ministry or personal use, but please credit the author when doing so. © Dean Butler