Matthew 13:11

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

Key Reflection

This question from the disciples reveals their confusion; they seek clarity on why Jesus uses parables, which suggests they are struggling to understand his teachings. Jesus' use of parables, as explained later in the passage (Matthew 13:12), serves to reveal truth to those who seek it while hiding it from those who do not, highlighting the dual nature of his mission and the importance of faith and discernment.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 11. The mysteries of the kingdom. The word mystery, in the Bible, properly means a thing that is concealed, or that has been concealed. It does not mean that the thing was incomprehensible, or even difficult to be understood. The thing might be plain enough if revealed, but it means simply that it had not been made known. Thus the mysteries of the kingdom do not mean any doctrines incomprehensible in themselves considered, but simply doctrines about the preaching of the gospel, and the establishment of the new kingdom of the Messiah which had not been understood, and which were as yet concealed from the great body of the Jews. See Ro 16:26; 11:25; Eph 3:3,4,9.

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