Matthew 13:11-15
The Message
11-15 He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:
Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.
Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.
The people are stupid!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won’t have to look,
so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Bible Gateway Recommends
![Message Slimline Bible--soft leather-look, brown/tan](https://g.christianbook.com/dg/product/web/f108/464312.jpg)
![3.5 of 5.0 stars](/assets/images/merch/stars35.png?7668a670)
![The One Year Bible MSG, Large Print Thinline Edition--softcover](https://g.christianbook.com/dg/product/web/f108/588271.jpg)
![The Message, Numbered Edition, Personal Size, with Topical Concordance - Slightly Imperfect](https://g.christianbook.com/dg/product/web/f108/211074.jpg)
![The Message Thinline, Large Print (LeatherLike, Arrow Saddle Tan), LeatherLike, Arrow Saddle Tan](https://g.christianbook.com/dg/product/web/f108/585583.jpg)