Matthew 13:15

13:15 For the heart of this people has become dull;

they are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes,

so that they would not see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’ 1 

Matthew 13:19

13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one 2  comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; 3  this is the seed sown along the path.

1 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.

2 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.

3 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.