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Ever Hearing



“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' and I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' 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, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.'”
(Isaiah 6:8-10)

These few verses are quoted in the New Testament. The first is in Matthew 13 when Jesus says why he uses parables so that people would not understand.

“This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.' In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ''You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”
(Matthew 13:13-16)

Jesus quotes it again in John 12:29-41 and Jesus said that they would not believe and also that they could not believe. John also tells us that the one who appeared to Isaiah was the Lord Jesus.

“Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.”
(John 12:41)

Finally, Paul quotes it to the Jews who came to him when he was under house arrest (Acts 28:16a) in Rome. Here he is; verse 25-29.

“They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: 'The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: “Go to this people and say, '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, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” 'Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
(Acts 28:25-29)

He says that they don't want to believe.

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