Said Jesus, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Unbelief will ever find cause to doubt and reason away the most positive proof. The Jews stood constantly upon guard, lest they should be forced by overwhelming evidence to yield their prejudice and unbelief. Though their understanding was convinced, they refused to surrender their pride and self-righteousness, admitting that they, who had boasted of their wisdom over all the rest of the world, themselves needed a teacher. {2SP 277.2}

Jesus siger: "Thi dette floks hjerte er blevet sløvt, og med ørene hører de tungt og deres øjne har de lukket, for at de ikke skal se med øjnene og høre med ørene og fatte med hjertet og omvende sig, så jeg kan (278) læge dem." Vantroen finder altid en undskyldning for sin tvivl og bortfjerner de mest overbevisende kendsgerninger. Jøderne var hele tiden på deres post, for at de ikke skulle blive tvunget til ved overvældende at slippe deres fordom og vantro. Selvom deres forstand var overbevist, så ville de dog ikke erkende, at de var stolte og egenretfærdige, eller indrømme, at de, som pralede af visdom frem for alle andre mennesker i verden, selv behøvede en lærer.