Matthew 13:10-17 Meaning: Why Jesus Spoke in Parables
10The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
11He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.
12For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.
13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand.
14In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, ‘By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive;
15for this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, and I would heal them.’
16“But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
17For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.
10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.
13Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
15For this people’s heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
17For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.
10And the disciples having come near, said to him, `Wherefore in similes dost thou speak to them?'
11And he answering said to them that--`To you it hath been given to know the secrets of the reign of the heavens, and to these it hath not been given,
12for whoever hath, it shall be given to him, and he shall have overabundance, and whoever hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him.
13`Because of this, in similes do I speak to them, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor understand,
14and fulfilled on them is the prophecy of Isaiah, that saith, With hearing ye shall hear, and ye shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and ye shall not perceive,
15for made gross was the heart of this people, and with the ears they heard heavily, and their eyes they did close, lest they might see with the eyes, and with the ears might hear, and with the heart understand, and turn back, and I might heal them.
16`And happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear,
17for verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men did desire to see that which ye look on, and they did not see, and to hear that which ye hear, and they did not hear.
10And the disciples came up and said to him, Why speakest thou to them in parables?
11And he answering said to them, Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given;
12for whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall be caused to be in abundance; but he who has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
13For this cause I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear nor understand;
14and in them is filled up the prophecy of Esaias, which says, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and beholding ye shall behold and not see;
15for the heart of this people has grown fat, and they have heard heavily with their ears, and they have closed their eyes as asleep, lest they should see with the eyes, and hear with the ears, and understand with the heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear;
17for verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see the things which ye behold and did not see [them], and to hear the things which ye hear and did not hear [them].
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Jesus teach in parables? Matthew 13:10-17 explains that parables reveal truth to humble hearts while hiding it from proud ones.
Context
Jesus has just finished telling the parable of the sower to a large crowd. Now the disciples come to him privately with a question that must have bothered them: Why do you speak to them in parables? They had watched the crowd listen and walk away puzzled. Jesus' answer is surprising. He does not say he is trying to make things simple. Instead he says that the secrets of the kingdom are a gift given to some and not to others. He reaches back to the prophet Isaiah, who described a people whose hearts had grown thick, whose ears were heavy, whose eyes were shut. Jesus is not creating that hardness. He is speaking into a situation that already exists. And in the middle of this hard truth, he turns to his disciples and calls them blessed. They see what prophets and kings longed to see.
Key Words
Three words in this passage open up what is really happening. The first is mysteries (Greek: mustēria). In the ancient world this word meant secrets shared only with insiders who were ready to receive them. Jesus does not use it that way. For him, the mysteries of the kingdom are not puzzles to solve but truths about God that cannot be known by human effort alone. They must be given. That leads to the second word: it has been granted (Greek: dedotai). The verb is passive and perfect, something God has done and continues to do. Understanding is not a skill you master. It is a gift you receive.
The third word cuts to the heart of the problem. The people’s heart has grown callous (Greek: epachunthē). Literally it means “has become fat” or thick, dull, insensitive, like a muscle that no longer feels. This is not how God made them. This is what happens when you keep turning away from the light. You lose the ability to see it. Jesus does not cause this. He names it and, in naming it, offers the only cure: turning back.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage through different lenses while agreeing on its core. Some emphasize the sovereignty of God in giving and withholding understanding. They see the parables as a form of judgment on those who have already rejected the light. Others stress human responsibility: the people had closed their own eyes, and Jesus respected that choice. Still others highlight the mercy within the judgment. A parable hides the truth from the hard heart, but it also plants a seed that might sprout later. The old Geneva Bible notes capture something all traditions acknowledge: the mystery is not for everyone at every moment, but it is always offered.
A common misunderstanding
Some people think Jesus used parables to make the truth simple and clear for everyone. In fact, Jesus says the opposite here. Parables both reveal and conceal. They open the kingdom to those whose hearts are ready and keep it hidden from those whose hearts are not. The same story that brings light to a humble listener can be a locked door to a stubborn one.
Living This Out
Before you open the Bible this week, ask yourself one question: Do I want to understand, or do I want to be right? The difference matters more than you think. Jesus taught in parables because the posture of your heart determines what you hear. When you read or listen to Scripture, bring your full attention. Admit what you do not get. Ask God to give you understanding, not as information but as a gift. And when something does break through, stop and thank him. That gift is precious. Prophets and kings would have traded everything for it.
Main takeaway: The same words of Jesus can reveal truth to a humble heart or remain hidden from a hard one.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Some people listened to Jesus and did not understand. Their hearts were like a door that was locked. But Jesus wants to open your heart. You can ask him to help you understand what he says.
For ages 9, 12
When Jesus told stories, some people walked away confused. It was not because the stories were too hard. It was because their hearts were not ready. They had stopped really listening. Jesus calls us to keep our hearts open and soft. When you read the Bible, ask God to help you understand. He loves to give that gift to people who truly want it.
Questions People Ask
Does Jesus really hide truth from some people on purpose?
Jesus is not hiding truth from people who genuinely want it. He is describing what happens when people have already made up their minds to reject him. A hard heart cannot receive the kingdom. The parable preserves the mystery until the heart is ready. It respects the choice people have made.
What does 'whoever has, more will be given' mean?
This is about using what you have received. If you pay attention to what God has shown you, you will get more understanding. If you ignore it or treat it as worthless, even what little you have will slip away. It is the principle of using or losing spiritual insight.
What is the prophecy from Isaiah that Jesus quotes?
Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, where God tells Isaiah that the people will hear but not understand, see but not perceive, because their hearts have grown dull. Jesus does not say God made them that way. He says they have closed their own eyes and ears. The prophecy describes the sad state they are already in.
Were the disciples just smarter than everyone else?
No. Jesus says it was 'given' to them to understand. That word points to a gift from God, not natural intelligence. The disciples were ordinary people. Their difference was that they stayed close to Jesus and asked questions. They were willing to learn.
Does this mean some people can never understand the gospel?
Jesus is talking about a specific moment in his ministry, not a permanent condition. The same people who heard parables and did not understand could later repent and believe. Many did at Pentecost. Hardness of heart is serious, but it is never the last word. God can soften any heart.
For pastors & researchers
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