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Ivo said:
V9 in Mat 13 is interesting - "He who has ears, let him hear". I suppose this is a reference to to those whom the Holy Spirit is enlightening? - Those that God is calling.
Ivo,

The Markan passage 4:11, 12 is complementary to Matt 13:9 as they are dealing with two different prospectives. Mark is addressing God's sovereignty in salvation and Matthew addresses man's responsibility in salvation. In Mark, it is God Himself Who "prevents", i.e., withholds enlightenment from the majority of sinners and grants it to those whom He chooses. God is under no obligation to save anyone; another distasteful truth which most abhor. In Matthew, it is the sinner's obstinacy against the truth and inherent hatred of it that prevents them from comprehending the truth and their need of redemption. (Jh 3:19; Eph 2:1-5; 4:17, 18) Thus we have two sides of the one coin revealed.

The "enlightenment" spoken of in these texts and which you refer to in your question is what we call the "inward call". This is part of regeneration. The Holy Spirit recreates the soul, enlivens it from its natural spiritually dead state which enables a sinner to truly comprehend, hear, see, desire and choose that which is good and true. The preaching/reading of the Word, regardless of who delivers it, yes even the Lord Christ Himself is not efficacious in and of itself. But it is the Holy Spirit working with and through the Word in the hearts of those whom God has determined to save that it has a positive affect.

For more on this distinction between the "outward call" and the "inward call" see here: The Call That Brings a Response, by Paul Helm.

In His grace,

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simul iustus et peccator

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