Matthew 13:10-17 - The Reason For The Parables
10 Now when his disciples came up to him, they said,
11 "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered. "To you it has been granted to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; but to them it has not been granted. 12 "For whoever holds, to him shall more be given, and he shall have abundance; but whoever does not hold, from him shall be taken away even what he holds. 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 And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says. "Hearing you will hear and not understand; Seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the heart of his people is made fat, Their ears are dull of hearing; Their eyes, too, have they closed, Lest some day their eyes should perceive, And their ears should hear, And their heart should understand and turn, And I should heal them.
16 "But happy are your eyes, because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 "In solemn truth I tell you that many prophets and holy men have seen it not, and to hear what you are hearing, and have not heard it.
10 When he was alone his followers and the Twelve began asking about the parables. 11 He went on to say to them. "The secret truth concerning the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside everything is told in parables, 12 so that, "for all their looking they may not see, and for all their hearing, they may not understand, lest perchance they should turn and be pardoned.