15A23.       Isaiah 55:10-11.    At the beginning of John’s Gospel he writes of the ‘Word,’ which I understand to mean divinity’s human expression of love in the Person of Jesus.  Here in Isaiah I understand ‘word’ to mean the expression of God’s loving activity bringing about the achievement of God’s purpose in cultivating the harvest of those who choose to respond to God’s love in this world so to be with him in heaven.

Matthew 13:1-23.  “The disciples approached him and said, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’” Jesus replied, “Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes.”  I understand the meaning of the word ‘gross’ here is that those people who have developed hearts  hardened against the love that God has for them and rejected seeing the truth of what God has to offer them have made themselves into a soil in which it is impossible to bear any good fruit.  Jesus’ point is why try to give something to people that they really do not want nor have allowed themselves to be prepared to receive by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus knew the hearts of those to whom he explained the parable and of those to whom he did not.

Romans 8:18-23.  “For creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.”  God did not make this world to have the capacity to achieve true happiness on its own and with its own resources.  This world was created to disappoint us when we try to do it all on our own and, so as a result, we are led to seek the only One who can get the job done, our loving God.