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‘Go to this people and say,
You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’ –– Acts 28:26-27
Isaiah said it, Jeremiah alluded to it, Jesus repeated it, and Paul quoted it, so it must be a thought worth our attention. It is certainly a truth relevant to every era and most contexts. I know I could be tagged with that M.O. (mode of operation). If I frame these verses as my confession one night, by the time the next night rolls around, I could again offer that same confession with no redundancy, for I would have a whole new body of evidence exposing my dull heart, closed ears, and shut eyes. If I asked the Lord to sign my yearbook, perhaps the citation would say –– “When will you learn?” “How many times do I have to tell you?”
It seems a rather odd conclusion for the book of the Bible that narrates the early growth of the Church, and yet it is an appropriate mirror for the Church to regularly reflect upon when looking to the future. To whom are we listening and looking? Is it the Lord, or is it our agenda? Are we actually open to what God’s Spirit may be saying to us?
As the book of Acts draws to a close, Paul is under house arrest in Rome. Opponents of his missionary work in the name of Christ had provoked Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem. Appealing to the Emperor, Paul is sent to Rome. When he arrives, Paul asks to meet with the local faith leaders to discuss with them the question of his imprisonment. Their response to Paul is both telling and timeless –– “We would like to hear from you what you think, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”
“We know that everywhere it is spoken against.” You know? Everywhere? To me, that sounds like saying, “We are predisposed to let you speak, but we probably won’t be listening, because we are satisfied with the rumors we’ve heard.” How can we learn if we think we already know? How can we grow, if we believe we’ve already grown? To assume more knowledge than someone is to walk a thin and unstable plank. When we patronize someone, we also disrespect them, and in disrespecting them we are also disrespecting God, who most likely has something to teach us through them. So, maybe it is always a good idea to look with our eyes, and listen with our ears, because, who knows, we may just understand with our hearts and turn, and be healed. For such is the grace of God.
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