Matthew 13:10-17 - The Reason For The Parables

¹⁰ The disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

¹¹ And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand; and seeing you will see and not perceive. ¹⁵ For this people's heart has grown dull. And their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and they 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 truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

¹⁰ And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those outside everything is in parables; ¹² so that 'seeing they may see but not perceive, and hearing may hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven.'"

⁹ When his disciples asked him what this parable meant, ¹⁰ he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others it is given in parables, so that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'