Matthew 13:10-13

Matthew 13:10: “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He 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.”

If you walked up to a random Christian and asked them why Jesus taught in parables, they would probably tell you it was so that the audience could better understand what Jesus was saying. In other words, it was for the sake of clarity. Parables were like illustrations, explaining something that was hard to understand. That is what most people believe.

But that is not at all what Jesus said. He told His disciples that the reason He taught in parables was so that the masses would NOT understand. He did it to HIDE the meaning of His teachings. In other words, it was a punishment. Verse 11 is very clear about this: they were not given the privilege of understanding “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”. It wasn’t for them to know, so Jesus hid them in parables:

Matthew 13:12: “For 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.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.”

It’s worth noting that when Jesus started His ministry He did not teach in parables. Take a look at the Sermon on the Mount sometime; it is quite clear and direct. The parables seem to have started after the priests rejected Him and called Him demon possessed. At that point the situation changed. Since they refused to listen to Him, Jesus refused to be clear when talking to them. Since the disciples would listen He explained everything to them, but the Pharisees would not listen – so Jesus taught them in cryptic riddles that they could not understand.