Jesus says that sometimes people close THEIR OWN minds and hearts, so that they won’t understand, and He indicates that sometimes God helps them close their minds.
“13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. 14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,
‘By hearing you will hear,
And will in no way understand;
Seeing you will see,
And will in no way perceive:
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous,
Their ears are dull of hearing,
They have closed their eyes;”Mtt 13:13-15c
Why did “they” close “their eyes”?
“Or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their heart,
And should turn again;
And I would heal them.’”
Matt. 13:15d-16
The Jews, not all of them, but as a group, did not want this salvation that Jesus offered, in a new heavens and a new earth. They wanted a salvation of this present earth … a worldly savior in a worldly earth. They wanted a worldly kingdom, which Jesus never offered, for Jesus said, “my kingdom is not from here.” Jn 18:36.
The next part applies especially to Judas Iscariot,
“24 Pour out your indignation on them.
Let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate.
Let no one dwell in their tents.”
Psa 69:24-25.
But it is a plural subject: “them,” “their.” The application goes past Judas, but Peter speaks of these things in Acts one as especially applying to Judas.. He stood up among the disciples, and said,
“Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus”
Acts 1:16.
Peter is referring specifically to Psalm 69.
“For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘Let his habitation be made desolate,
Let no one dwell therein,’ and,
‘Let another take his office.’”
Act 1:15-20
And why is all of this?
They persecuted the very Savior of Israel. The One God hit, the God smote, and God did smite Him,
“4 Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isa 53:4-5.
God punished Jesus for their sins, that they might be free, yet they persecuted Him.
“For they persecute him whom you have wounded.
They tell of the sorrow of those whom you have hurt.”
Psa 69:26.
So only a curse awaits them. Paul comments on the opposition of the Jews to Christianity.
“Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:”
1Thes 2:15 KJV
Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901