"Those persons who feel a deep sense of their personal need are blessed because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

But go and take to heart the sense of these words, My desire is for mercy, not offerings: for I have come not to get the upright, but sinners.

He answered them, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.

For this reason I put things into the form of stories; because they see without seeing, and give ear without hearing, and the sense is not clear to them.

And for them the words of Isaiah have come true, Though you give ear, you will not get knowledge; and seeing, you will see, but the sense will not be clear to you:

For this nation’s heart has grown hard,
And with their ears they hardly hear,
And they have [tightly] closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart, and turn [to Me]
And I would heal them [spiritually].’

When the word of the kingdom comes to anyone, and the sense of it is not clear to him, then the Evil One comes, and quickly takes away that which was put in his heart. He is the seed dropped by the wayside.

And the seed which was put in good earth, this is he who gives ear to the word, and gets the sense of it; who gives fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times as much.

And do not call any man on earth 'father,' [i.e., in a religious sense], for the [only] one who is your Father is in heaven.