"And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ Jesus answered them, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been granted.’" Matthew 13:10-11

I have heard it preached that Jesus spoke in parables so that the people could more easily understand His message, but here He says the exact opposite. Jesus didn’t speak in parables so people could understand, but so they could not understand. He explained the meaning of the parables to His disciples privately because the Father had ordained that they should know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

But why was God hiding the truth from the multitudes who came out to listen to Jesus? The answer is found in the context of today’s Scripture. Jesus had just finished the parable of the sower. The seed sown was the Word of God which seldom fell upon good soil and grew to bear godly fruit. Some fell beside the road, some on rocky places and others among thorns, none of which grew to bear the spiritual fruits the Lord sowed them to produce. This is why Jesus said, -"To him who has ears, let him hear."

Jesus further explained to His disciples that the Father had closed off the mysteries of God to those who had closed their own eyes and did not want to see, -"For the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear."

The Father had granted the truth to those who He knew would value it and gladly receive it, and had hid it from those who would reject it.

When a person receives the Word he becomes one of God’s children and is transferred into the Kingdom of God as a holy king and priest. This Kingdom is not merely a place but a government. The saints are the appointed administration of God’s government. God knows who will see and understand the value of that divine appointment.

Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field and when a man finds it he values it above all else, even selling everything that he owns in order to buy that field. "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear." (vs 43)