When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” (Mark 4:10-13).
Many times, throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, parables were used to minister to the people and to the disciples.
The first three gospels contain these parables, and several of them overlap, such as the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 4:1-34; Luke 8:4-18), the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-21), and the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-18).
Some parables were provided for contrast such as the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46), the ten virgins and the ten talents (Matthew 25:1-13,14-30), and the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15:1-7, 8-10). According to this article, “Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism.”
Parables are earthly stories used to illustrate a heavenly truth. These stories are used to conceal the truth as well as to reveal the truth. They are to be understood spiritually, and they require further explanation and understanding.
There were many who did not understand these parables when spoken by Jesus, and there is a reason for this. There is also a reason why the disciples understood some of the parables while not understanding others.
What Was the Purpose for Using Parables?
There were two main purposes for Jesus using parables. The first purpose was to reveal the truth to His disciples. The second purpose was to veil the truth to those Jesus knew would not believe.
In other words, parables helped to distinguish between believers and unbelievers. There were many people in the time of Jesus who were not interested in the truth concerning God. In Matthew 13, Jesus explained to His disciples why He spoke in parables to the people, saying,
“This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says, ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them’” (Matthew 13:13-15 ESV).
This He quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10.
To those who are dull of hearing and of heart, the parables are a tool demonstrating both God’s judgment and mercy. This may not make sense to us, but Jesus did this as an act of mercy for those who were unbelievers.
According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary,“For unbelievers, understanding and refusing to believe increases personal responsibility and the consequent execution of God’s justice at the end.”
1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
Those who are spiritually dead or unconverted are unable to comprehend the divine truth concerning Jesus Christ. To them, it is nonsensical.
But to those with the Holy Spirit and with discernment, the gift of eternal life is precious. Even in His judgment against those who do not believe Christ for salvation, He is merciful.
The Disciples and Their Understanding
The disciples of Christ were given the knowledge for secrets to the Kingdom of God. Jesus told His disciples when they asked Him why He spoke to the people in parables, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matthew 13:10,11, ESV).
The MacArthur Study Bible tells us that “mysteries are those truths which have been hidden from all ages in the past and revealed in the New Testament.” Jesus’ disciples will be those who obey and follow Him while those without understanding of the mysteries or the secrets of the kingdom of heaven will continue in rebellion against God.
Understanding comes to those who are regenerated and led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples in John 16:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
After the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, when Jesus used parables, He only explained them to His disciples. We see in Scripture that Jesus explained two of His parables to His disciples when they asked. He explained the parable of the weeds to them (Matthew 13:36-43), and He explained the parable of the sower to them (Mark 4:10-20).
However, in this particular passage of Scripture, we see Jesus saying to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” Now we come to the question of why the disciples did not understand some of His parables.
Though they had been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, they were still human beings with weaknesses. God is the only One with perfect knowledge and understanding. He lacks nothing.
Yet the disciples were reminded that without Him, they were weak and so was their understanding. This is a great reminder to us as believers in Christ. We are in need of understanding when it comes to the truth found in His Word.
Only the Holy Spirit can provide this to us. We are weak in our own understanding just as the disciples, and in His grace, He provided them understanding, and He provides us understanding as well.
For further reading:
What Were the Parables of Jesus?
What Is the Parable of the Talents?
What Does it Mean to Have Faith Like a Mustard Seed?
Why Can the Bible Only Be Understood Through the Spirit?
How Do We Seek First the Kingdom of God?
Why Didn’t the Disciples Recognize Jesus after His Resurrection?
Was Jesus Being Insensitive When He Said, ‘Let the Dead Bury the Dead’?
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