“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 13:35 Mean?
Matthew 13:35 explains why Jesus teaches in parables — and the explanation reaches back to the foundation of the world. Matthew quotes Psalm 78:2, attributing it to "the prophet" (some manuscripts read "the prophet Isaiah," though the quote comes from Asaph's psalm).
"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet" — Matthew's characteristic fulfillment formula ties Jesus's teaching method to prophetic precedent. Jesus isn't innovating with parables; He's fulfilling a pattern established in Scripture.
"I will open my mouth in parables" — the Greek parabolais (parables) translates the Hebrew mashal, which encompasses proverbs, riddles, allegories, and illustrative stories. The "opening" of the mouth implies deliberate, purposeful speech — not casual conversation but authoritative revelation.
"I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world" — the Greek kekrymmena apo katabolēs kosmou (things hidden from the foundation of the world) is staggering in scope. Jesus isn't sharing recent insights or contemporary wisdom. He's revealing things that have been concealed since creation itself — truths embedded in the structure of reality that no one has been able to access until this moment.
The paradox of parables is central to Matthew 13. Parables simultaneously reveal and conceal. To those with ears to hear (v. 9), they unlock cosmic secrets. To those without (v. 13-15), they remain opaque stories about seeds and soil. The same story, heard by different hearts, produces opposite effects.
The phrase "from the foundation of the world" (apo katabolēs kosmou) appears in several other significant New Testament contexts: the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), the kingdom prepared from the foundation (Matthew 25:34). Jesus's parables are not recent additions to the curriculum. They are the unveiling of truths as old as existence itself.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Jesus reveals 'things hidden from the foundation of the world' through simple stories. Which parable has revealed something to you that felt ancient and true — a truth deeper than the surface story?
- 2.Parables simultaneously reveal and conceal. Why do you think God chooses to communicate some truths through story rather than direct statement?
- 3.The secrets are as old as creation. How does knowing that Jesus's teachings describe the permanent structure of reality — not just advice for living — change how seriously you take them?
- 4.Do you read parables as illustrations of points or as the points themselves? How would treating them as cosmic truth wrapped in ordinary language change your engagement with them?
Devotional
Jesus tells stories about seeds and soil and treasure in fields. And Matthew says: He's revealing secrets hidden since the creation of the world.
That's a staggering claim. The parables sound simple. A farmer goes out to sow. A woman loses a coin. A man finds treasure. These are ordinary images drawn from ordinary life. And Matthew says they contain truths that have been concealed since the foundation of the world — cosmic secrets wrapped in everyday language.
This reframes how you read the parables entirely. They're not illustrations added to make theology easier to understand. They are the theology. The seed and the soil aren't decorations around a point. They are the point — the actual shape of how God's kingdom works, expressed in the only language that can carry truths this deep: story.
Some truths can't be communicated in propositions. They can only be told. They need characters and settings and tension and surprise. They need to sneak past your defenses the way Nathan's parable snuck past David's. That's why Jesus opens His mouth in parables — not because His audience is too simple for straight teaching, but because the truths He's carrying are too deep for anything but story.
The phrase "kept secret from the foundation of the world" means you're hearing something that has been waiting since Genesis 1 to be spoken. Every parable is an unveiling — a curtain being pulled back on a reality that existed before you did. When Jesus tells a story about a mustard seed or a pearl of great price, He's not making up an analogy. He's describing the way things actually are and always have been.
The question is whether you have ears to hear it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He answered and said unto them,.... Being very ready to answer their request, and willing to communicate spiritual…
That it might be fulfilled - This is taken from Psa 78:2-3. The sense, and not the very words of the Psalm, are given.…
In these verses, we have, I. Another reason given why Christ preached by parables, Mat 13:34, Mat 13:35. All these…
Psa 78:2. The quotation does not agree verbally with the LXX. It is a direct translation of the Hebrew. The psalm which…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture