Why did Jesus speak in parables and apparently not wanting everyone to understand what the
point was?
Hi, welcome to Little Lessons.
Today's question is a good one.
We know that Jesus did often speak in parables and one time his disciples asked him why he
was doing that, and his apparent response was, is because he didn't want everyone to
understand certain mysteries.
He was doing it to keep them ignorant, so let's think about this.
In fact, let's start by reading today in Matthew, Chapter 13, beginning in verse number 10 when
his disciples came to him, and they asked him why do you speak to them in parables?
And he answered, and said, "To you," that is my disciples, "it has been granted to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted," and so it
kind of almost sounds as if it's just a sovereign choice of God.
God wants some people to understand, and God wants other people not to understand.
We can make that assumption, that wrong assumption, if we just isolate scriptures and forget about
the context that surrounds them, because surely God is making sovereign decisions, and he
is deciding that some will receive blessing that others will not receive, but his decisions
are often based upon conditions that people meet, or don't meet.
And so when Jesus says, "To you, my disciples, it's been granted," but to others it's not
been granted, we shouldn't assume it's because God for no reason arbitrarily decides to grant
revelation to some, and to others.
These people who are his disciples made a decision to become his disciples.
They counted the costs, and they said okay, I'm willing to pay the price to be a disciple
of Christ, and so Jesus says people like that get certain privileges.
They get to understand the mysteries of the kingdom, but people who refuse to become my
disciples, I'm not going to cast my pearls before the swine, as he told us we should
not do, okay.
Let's keep reading.
Verse number 12.
"For whoever has," in its context would be who has some understanding or some relationship
with God, "to him shall more be given.
And he will have an abundance."
But whoever does not have some understanding, some revelation, hasn't taken the first step,
"Even what he has shall be taken away from him.
Therefore, I speak to them in parables, because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing
they do not hear, nor do they understand in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being
fulfilled," which says, now he quotes from Isaiah."You will keep on hearing, but you
will not understand.
You will keep on seeing, but you will not perceive," and so he said we're actually fulfilling
prophecy.
People are hearing, but they're not getting it, and that's part of my role as a Messiah
is to fulfill the prophecies that speak about me.
But listen to the reason.
Even Isaiah reveals the reason for this.
This is Matthew 13, now in verse number 15.
He quotes again from Isaiah.
"For the heart of this people has become dull."
He said now is pinning the blame on the people.
"Your heart has become dull.
With their ears they scarcely hear."
Now listen to this, "And they have closed their eyes."
Now God's pinning it on them.
The reason you don't see is because you don't want to see.
And this is really a fascinating yet tragic subject in many ways, because we know that
the world is full of people who are deceived.
We often think of them as poor innocent deceived people, but the fact is, is that deception
is an election.
It's something that people choose.
The reason that they choose to be deceived is because they refuse to believe the truth.
And the most tragic thing about deception is, of course, if you're deceived, you don't
you're deceived.
If you knew you were deceived, you wouldn't be deceived, would you?
So, all deceived people actually think they're not deceived.
That's a characteristic of all deceived people.
That's part of the package of being deceived.
You don't think you're deceived.
And so how can we ... if we are deceived, get out of the deception.
It all comes down to the condition of our hearts.
Blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God.
So, we have to purify our hearts, and as little children say, oh Lord, I don't want to be
deceived.
I want to know the truth so that I can obey the truth and please you, and do what you
want me to do.
But people who don't want to serve the Lord, they're going to find a justification for
what they believe.
There's plenty of reasons that the devil is going to give them not to believe the truth.
The devil, that's his main job, when you think about it, is to deceive people.
He provides people with lies, listen closely, that they want to believe.
Deception is an election.
I wrote a little article, a little teaching on that one time.
We do them every single month and that was the title.
I think you can find it at davidservant.com.
Go to the search bar and put in deception is an election, and there it is.
Alright, so let's keep on reading.
"They have closed their eyes.
Otherwise, they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with
their heart and return."
That's something that they would do because of their choice, and God says, "And I would
heal them."
So, at first glance we read this passage of scripture, it's not that Jesus doesn't want
everybody to understand.
God desires that all people would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
He's made us as free moral agents, and we have a choice, and he's put us in an environment
where we have the option to believe lies, or to believe the truth, and which way we
go reveals what is in our heart.
It's what is in our heart that's motivating us as to what we're going to believe.
You might remember the original temptation.
I'm running out of time now, but God said to Adam, "Don't eat from the tree lest you
die."
And the devil said just the opposite, "You will surely not die."
And so Adam had a choice then.
Can I believe what God has said, or can I believe what contradicts what God has said.
Okay, so God loves everybody.
God wants everybody to come unto the light.
The trouble is people love darkness.
Thanks for joining me.
Hope to see you again next time on Little Lessons.