Jesus says this in Mark 4:11-12 (NRSV):
“And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”
This passage “quotes” Isaiah 6:9-10, where God commissions Isaiah to preach to a people whose hearts are hardened. In Mark, Jesus uses this reference to explain that parables serve both to reveal truth to his disciples and to obscure it from those who are unreceptive.
The italicized text below was extracted from Christine Elizabeth Hayes’ book Introduction to the Bible (The Open Yale Courses Series) (p. 274). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.
The Call of Isaiah
Isaiah 6:9-10 contains a striking account of the call of Isaiah, something that might be expected at the beginning of the book, were chronology the organizing principle. In an extraordinary passage, the call, or commissioning, of Isaiah harks back to the bleakness of Hosea:
Go, say to that people:
Hear, indeed, but do not understand;
See, indeed, but do not grasp.
Dull that people’s mind,
Stop its ears,
And seal its eyes—
Lest, seeing with its eyes
And hearing with its ears,
It also grasp with its mind,
And repent and save itself.
Isaiah 6:9–10, Close to JPS 1985
It would seem from this passage that destruction is inevitable and that Yahweh’s message via his prophet will not be understood. Indeed, Yahweh will see to it that the people do not understand the message, do not heed the call to repent, do not save themselves, and so do not escape Yahweh’s just punishment.
This is a fascinating, if theologically difficult, idea. Yahweh tells Isaiah to prevent the people from understanding lest through understanding they turn back to Yahweh and so save themselves. We see Yahweh caught in the balance between his justice and his mercy. As a god of justice, he must punish the sins of Israel with destruction, as he indicated he would do in the Sinaitic covenant. But as a god of mercy, he wishes to bring his people back, send a prophet to warn them of the impending doom, and urge them to repent so that he can forgive them and renounce his plan of destruction. How can Yahweh both punish Israel and fulfill the demands of justice on the one hand, yet save Israel and so fulfill the demands of mercy and love on the other?
From ChatGPT, 2/25/2025
Prompt: As Mark 4:11-12 parallels the message in Isaiah 6:9–10, do critical bible scholars understand it in similar ways?
Critical biblical scholars often interpret Mark 4:11–12 in ways similar to Isaiah 6:9–10, as Jesus’ quotation of Isaiah suggests a parallel in meaning and function. Here are three main scholarly perspectives on how these passages are understood:
- Judicial Hardening and Divine Judgment
Just as in Isaiah, some scholars see Jesus’ use of Isaiah 6:9–10 in Mark 4:11–12 as reflecting a divine judgment on those who have persistently rejected God’s message. The parables, rather than merely being teaching tools, serve as a means to both reveal and conceal truth. Those who are open to Jesus’ message will understand, while those resistant to it will remain blind to its meaning. This aligns with Isaiah’s role in proclaiming a message that results in further hardening rather than immediate repentance. - Testing the Hearers
Some scholars argue that Mark 4:11–12 does not mean Jesus intends to prevent understanding, but rather that his parables function as a test of the audience’s receptivity. Those with “ears to hear” will seek deeper understanding, while others will dismiss his teachings. This perspective aligns with an irony-based interpretation of Isaiah 6:9–10, where the words provoke reflection rather than outright exclusion. - Mystery of the Kingdom and Esoteric Teaching
Another view is that Jesus speaks in parables because the “mystery of the kingdom” is not meant to be fully grasped by all at once. This interpretation suggests that the knowledge of God’s kingdom requires a certain disposition—faith and commitment—rather than intellectual understanding alone. Some scholars argue that Jesus’ wording reflects the idea that those outside the kingdom are, by their own hardness of heart, unable to understand his message.
Key Scholarly Sources:
- Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus – Explores how parables function as a form of resistance and revelation.
- N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God – Discusses how Jesus’ use of Isaiah reflects the larger theme of Israel’s historical failure to listen to God’s prophets.
- Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses – Examines how Jesus’ teachings engaged his audience in ways that could either open or close their understanding.
- James D.G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered – Highlights how Jesus’ use of Isaiah should be understood within first-century Jewish expectations.
