Why did Jesus teach so often in parables?

In Matthew 13:10, 11, 12, we read: “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but unto them it is not given. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.”

Many of the listeners were there just for curiosity or seeking for some way to condemn His message. So, the truth was hidden from them. To them, it was a mystery. The truth was not mystery in the sense that it cannot be understood or that it is deliberately withheld from some and bestowed upon others. But the gospel is “foolishness” to some (1 Cor. 1:23) because “the natural man,” unconditioned by the influence of the Holy Spirit, has no capacity for receiving “the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14).

The reason the worldly cannot know them is simply because the parables “are spiritually discerned,” and the worldly lack the discernment, or insight, necessary to grasp the meaning. For spiritual perception comes only by the operation of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 16:17).

Those that are not interested in spiritual matters are “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). Unlike them are the sincere and humble people who understand the meaning of the parables because they open their hearts to the Holy Spirit who guides them to all the truth (John 16:13).

In His service,
BibleAsk Team

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