Matthew 13:10 - 17

"Why I Use Parables"

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The disciples ask why Jesus speaks to the multitudes using parables.

Jesus answers the disciples question with this answer, the church or the kingdom was not yet started and it was not yet time to introduce them to all of its mysteries or unrevealed truths.

But the time had come to give the disciples the information they need to prepare them for their responsibility of helping to spread the Gospel and set up the kingdom.

The multitudes had the words of Moses and the prophets which had been given to the people to prepare them for the coming of the kingdom, but they refused to see the mysteries of the kingdom in predicted form. Thus since they refused to accept the prophecies as being fulfilled Jesus did not give them the other details of the Gospel until the full world would have the details of the Gospel of salvation.

Jesus uses parables with the multitudes because they have the ability to read and understand the words of Moses and the prophets but they do not use their opportunities.

Jesus says their failure to accept and understand the prophecies fulfill the verses He quotes in verse 14 which is from (Isaiah 6:9 – 10)

This moral and spiritual condition is not brought upon them because of accidental circumstances, but they deliberately blinded and deafened themselves to the words of the prophets so they would not be lead into the service of Christ.

The disciples were different from the multitudes because they were willing to use their opportunities to obtain information and Jesus recognized this trait in His followers and blessed them for using their abilities and opportunities to understand the prophecies regarding Jesus and the kingdom so he gave them the explanations of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

There had been good individuals who had lived before Christ came who had desired to understand the words of the prophets but had not had the opportunities of understanding which the disciples have which would have been rejoicing to have the explanations of which Jesus is giving his followers.