“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 13:10 Mean?
"Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" The disciples ask the question every reader has: why stories instead of straight teaching? Jesus' answer (verses 11-17) is complex and somewhat disturbing: parables simultaneously reveal truth to the receptive and conceal it from the unreceptive. The same story enlightens one person and mystifies another.
Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10: seeing they don't see; hearing they don't hear. The parables aren't obscure despite Jesus' intention — they're obscure because of it. He intentionally uses a teaching method that requires spiritual receptivity to decode. Those who have ears hear; those who don't, don't.
The distinction between the disciples ("unto you it is given to know") and the crowds ("unto them it is not given") creates a division in the audience. The same words reach both groups. The difference is in the capacity to receive — a capacity that is itself described as a gift ("it is given").
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you engage with Jesus' words deeply enough to seek their meaning, or do you hear and walk away?
- 2.How do parables function as both revelation and concealment simultaneously?
- 3.What spiritual receptivity do you need to develop to hear what Jesus is saying?
- 4.Have you ever experienced a truth that opened to you only after you actively sought it?
Devotional
Why parables? Because they function as a filter. The same story opens one heart and closes another. The same words produce understanding in the receptive and confusion in the resistant. Parables aren't inefficient teaching — they're precision-targeted revelation.
Jesus' answer is unsettling: He uses parables partly so that the unreceptive won't understand. The teaching method itself is a form of judgment. Those who have spiritual receptivity receive more. Those who don't have it lose even what they have (verse 12). The rich get richer. The poor get poorer. The parable accelerates the existing trajectory.
The disciples' question assumes parables are an odd choice — why not just speak plainly? Jesus' answer reframes the question: plain speech would give truth to people who would reject it. Parables protect the truth from people who would misuse it while delivering it to people who are ready to receive it. The story is a locked door. Those with the key enter. Those without it see only the exterior.
The key is receptivity — the willingness to hear, to engage, to ask "what does this mean?" The disciples have the key because they asked. The crowds don't because they didn't. The asking is itself evidence of the receptivity that qualifies you to receive the answer.
Are you asking? Are you engaging with what Jesus says deeply enough to seek its meaning? Or are you hearing stories and walking away without the key?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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