In Matthew 13, after Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seed, his disciples asked him why he spoke to the people in parables. Jesus’ answer followed in verses 10-17.
Jesus told the disciples that the people had not been blessed “to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” and that this is why he spoke in parables. Did this mean that Jesus arbitrarily chose those to whom he would reveal his truth, revealing these mysteries to some and not to others? No!
This section of scripture falls between the telling of the parable of the sower and its subsequent explanation. In the parable we see that the success of the seed (the Word) depends upon its reception by the soil (the human heart). In verse 12 and 13, Jesus explains that His message requires an open heart in order to be received. One must desire to know the truth.
Was Jesus just making things difficult for us? Couldn’t he have just said exactly what the truth was instead of making us work for it?
The people who struggled with Jesus’ teachings were struggling because they didn’t want to understand. The parables are like a code to understanding the truth. The only things necessary to crack the code are to have the desire to know the truth, and to put forth the effort to study it.
As we read the Bible, we must have an open mind to what it teaches. We should strive to develop our beliefs based on the scriptures, rather than reading the scriptures with the purpose of trying to prove what we already believe. The truth is right in front of us in the Scriptures. How badly do we want to know it?
Written by David Ray.
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