Matthew 13:10-17

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

Verse 12 here cross-references to Matthew 25:28. Matthew 25:28 is the end of the parable of the talents. The parable of the talents speaks about the man who gave his servants a varying number of talents, and the one he gave the most, was able to multiply it and return it with interest, but the one he gave the least did nothing with it, and so it was taken away.

So, in Jesus’ explanation of why he is speaking in parables, he tells the disciples they are given the secrets of the kingdom because they have used it well while it is hidden from others because they have not used it well. He says that even though they see, they do not really see, they hear, and they do not really hear, and they do not understand.

So, on the surface, this seems like a hidden message that God decides to hide from them, but it is a result of their choices. And the Bible warns of this even from Isaiah to Matthew. They will hear but never understand; it explains that these are the people whose hearts have become dull. And dull here means to thicken, fatten and make stupid. So, it’s their hearts that have caused this message to be hidden from them.

¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘”You will indeed hear but never understand,
    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
    and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

In the Bible, God tells Joshua that his word shall not depart from his mouth, but he shall meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8). With the parable, this meditation and time is required. The meaning is usually hidden deep inside and it requires intended effort and time to be able to understand what it’s saying.

He tells the disciples they are blessed to see and hear. Are we blessed in this same way to see, hear and understand? Do we truly see, hear and understand the kingdom of God, that Jesus is the way and the only way? Do our actions and choices reflect what we understand? Are we willing to take what he had given us and multiply it so that when he returns, we will have interest for him? God calls us to accept Jesus and be forgiven but after that, we are now his representatives, and we are expected to bring the message of the kingdom to all around us. Are we doing this or are we burying our salvation underground to keep it safe until he returns, where it cannot be multiplied?