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10 The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" 11 He replied, "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'" ~ Matthew 13:10-15
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 13 where the Lord Jesus is teaching the people by the Sea of Galilee. That day He utilized seven parables in His teaching. In them He drew His hearers attention to biblical faith which says to God, "I give up! I can never make myself right before You, so I trust You and depend on You completely to do what I cannot do myself." This kind of faith is altogether incompatible with the idea that our good works can somehow give us a right standing before the perfectly holy God. Such faith will, though, yield a certain measure of obedience in those who give it safe haven in their soul.
In v.10 of today's passage we read, "The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?'"
After the crowds had gone home the disciples came to the Lord with questions about His parables. One of the greatest signs that we have been "born again" is that we seek the truth. But, most often, we want the truth when it serves our purposes only. The true sign that we have entered into God's family is when we are confronted by the truth, and, we conclude: the truth must win. This will never mean that we will be perfect this side of heaven, but it does mean that we will be the servants of truth, not the other way around.
In v.11 of today's passage we read, "11 He replied, "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand."
It is the cross of Christ that justifies us before God. His perfect sacrifice brings us into relationship with God. The believer who is growing in his fellowship with God will increasingly know the secrets of God. The Greek word translated "secrets" in v.11 is the word from which we get our English word "mystery." The combination of the words questions and mystery provide for us the makings of the stage where a grand pursuit ensues. This is what our fellowship with the Lord is all about. When we entered into our personal relationship with Hm, we entered the pursuit. And, the more of Him that we get to know, the more of Him we will want. The development and the deepening of any relationship is largely based on this kind of a pursuit. To the degree that we invest our being in the pursuit of anyone will determine how deep that relationship grows.
Our longings determine our search. The problem is the longing is most often created by thirst, and, we want our thirsts quenched quickly. But, it does not work that way. The more arduous the pathway to God will determine the glory discovered at the end of the search. But, we do not want to put in the hard work. This is why the Lord Jesus taught in parables, to aid those who are engaged with the truth and to hinder those who are not. Those who follow the Lord Jesus are known to be obedient to the truth, and, when this happens, we are being defined by God. To those who are being defined by His truth are given the secrets of the kingdom of God.
In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'"
Based upon certain Old Testament passages like Isaiah 6:9-10, which the Lord Jesus quoted here, it was no surprise that Israel rejected the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. Interestingly, Isaiah wrote those words at a time of profound judgment on Israel. God had just pronounced a series of curses on them. He cursed them for all of their drunkenness and immorality. He also cursed them for their bribery and their oppression of the poor. He cursed them for their hypocritical religion. And then, at the height of all of that, King Uzziah died, and the country plunged into some of its darkest days.
This was odd at the time because they were poised for kingdom dominance. Then, all of a sudden the judgment of God came in the form of the Babylonian captivity. It wasn’t long after that, Jeremiah echoed the message of Isaiah, and the enemy came and swept away the people into Babylonian captivity. That was the first fulfillment of Isaiah’s words. And the Lord Jesus reminded the people this was the second. In the final analysis we discover parables are a judgment on unbelief. The fact that the natural man does not understand the things of God is not only a statement about man's ignorance, it is a statement about God’s judgment on rebellious and stubborn man.
When He came to this earth as a Jew, the Lord Jesus gave the people of Israel all they needed to conclude He was their long awaited Messiah. They just simply refused to believe in Him as their Savior. The fact that you and I have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior reveals we understand this is not a statement about our intellect, it is a statement about God’s grace. It was His intervention in our hearts and minds that made us to see our need for the Lord Jesus and to believe on Him as our Savior.
