For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.
All Commentaries on Matthew 13:17 Go To Matthew 13
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Hom. xiv: Wherein it is worthy admiration, that the disciples who desire to learn of Him, know when they ought to ask Him, for they do not this before the multitude. This Matthew declares, when he says, “And they came to him;” and Mark more expressly says, that “they came to him when he was alone.”
And observe moreover their goodness, how great their thought for others, that they enquire about what concerns others, before what relates to themselves. For they say not, "Why speakest thou to us in parables?" but “to them. And he answered and said unto them, Because it is given to you to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven.”
In saying this, He does not imply any necessity or fate, but shows at once, that they, to whom it is not given, are the cause of all their own miseries, and yet that the knowledge of the Divine mysteries is the gift of God, and a grace given from above. Yet this does not destroy free will, as is manifest from what follows; for to prevent that either these should despair, or those be remiss, when they hear that “to you it is given,” He shows that the beginning of allays with ourselves, and then He adds, “For whoso hath, to him shall be given, and he shall abound; and who so hath not, from him shall be taken what he hath.” As much as to say, Whoso has the desire and the zeal, to him shall be given all those things which are of God; but whoso lacketh these, and does not contribute that part that pertains to him, to him neither are the things which are of God given, but even those things that he hath are taken from him; not because God takes them away, but because he hath made himself unworthy of those that he has. Wherefore we also, if we see any hearkening carelessly, and having exhorted him to attend, he do not heed us, let us be silent; for should we persevere in urging him, his slothfulness will be the more charged against him. But him that is zealous to learn, we draw onwards, pouring forth many things. And He well said according to another Evangelist, “That which he see meth to have;” for, in truth, he has not even that he has.
But that what He had said might be made more manifest He adds, “Therefore speak unto them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” Had this been a natural blindness, He ought to have opened their eyes; but forasmuch as it is voluntary, therefore He said not simply, "They see not," but, “Seeing they see not.” For they had seen the demons going out, and they said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub;” they heard that He drew all men to God and they say, “This man is not of God.” Therefore because they spake the very contrary to what they saw and heard, to see and to hear is taken from them; for they profit nothing, but rather fall under judgment. For this reason He spake to them at first not in parables, but with much clearness; but because they perverted all they saw and heard, He now speaks in parables.
And that they should not say, He slanders us as an enemy, He brings forward the Prophet declaring the same opinion, as it follows, “That there might be fulfilled in them the prophecy of Isaiah, who said, With the hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not behold.”.
This He said because they had taken away their own sight and hearing, shutting their eyes, and hardening their hearts. For not only did they not hear at all, but they heard obtusely, as it follows, “The heart of this people is waxed gross, and they have heard hardly with their ears.”.
Herein He points out how extreme their wickedness, how determined their aversion. Again to draw them towards Him, He adds, “And be converted, and I should heal them;” which shows that if they would be converted, they should behealed. As if one should say, If he would ask me I would immediately forgive him, this would point out how he might be reconciled; so here when He says, "Lest they should be converted and I should heal them,” He shows that it was possible they should be converted, and having done penitence should be saved.
These things then which the Apostles saw and heard, are such as His presence, His voice, His teaching. And in this He sets them before not the evil only, but even before the good, pronouncing them more blessed than even the righteous men of old. For they saw not only what the Jews saw not, but also what the righteous men and Prophets desired to see, and had not seen. For they had beheld these things only by faith, but these by sight, and even yet more clearly. You see how He identifies the Old Testament with the New, for had the Prophets been the servants of any strange or hostile deity, they would not have desired to see Christ.
