HARDENED
HEARTS
Seventh
of twelve in Jesus’ Earthly Life & Ministry Parallel Series
Isaiah
6:9-10, John 12:37-40
Isaiah
6:9-10: “He said, ‘Go and tell this
people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing but never
perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and
close their eyes. Otherwise they might
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.’”
John
12:37-40: “Even after Jesus had done all
these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe
Him. This was to fulfill the word of
Isaiah the prophet: ‘Lord, who has believed this message and to whom has this
arm of the Lord been revealed?’ (Isaiah 53:1) For this reason they would not
believe, because as Isaiah said elsewhere: (Isaiah 6:10) ‘He has blinded their
eyes and deadened their hearts, so they
could neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor
turn—and I would heal them.’”
These parallel Scriptures begin with
God the Father commanding, and follows with God the Son revealing. Aren’t
you glad that you don’t know everything in your life as you’re living it? Our futures are a surprise. If we knew what lay ahead, what would be the
point of living?
But Jesus came to fulfill every law
and prophecy from the Father. I think that
only one thing mentioned in Scripture that surprised Jesus when He was on earth.
Check out the lesson linked below to see
Jesus’ surprise.
The opening may surprise and confuse
readers why the Father dimmed people’s eyes, dulled their ears, and hardened
their hearts against Him. The Israelites
were a stubborn and rebellious nation.
They had a choice. Some rejected
God. So God judged them (verse 40), so
they wouldn’t turn to Him and be healed.
Jesus found the same thing in His ministry. Even today, some people purposely reject God.
In place of God, people choose evil.
(Determined to live by their own will).
Isaiah
6:3 tells of Jesus’ glory: “Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord Almighty: the whole earth is full of His glory.” John shares the glory of Jesus because he
understood that His death on the cross, resurrection and ascension made oneness
with God possible. Believers share in
the joy of God’s majesty of going from suffering and rejection to triumph—from humiliation
to glory.
Take Home Nugget
John
12:42 proves that faithful believers weren’t affected by God hardening the hearts
of the rebellious: “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed
in Him. But because of the Pharisees, they would not confess their faith, for fear they would be put out of the
synagogues.”
Waiting
to embrace Jesus endangers one’s eternal future.
J.D.
Griffith
A
personal, private lesson experience with our staff
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