Secret Message

Matt. 13:10-17

Parables are a great way to reveal truth to some and keep it hidden from others.

Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash

Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn-- and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. - Matt. 13:10-17

How do parables work?

The imagery of a parable is always something the listener would recognize from daily life. Seeds, vineyards, coins, and lamps are just some of the images that would resonate with the people in his day.

Some of these images are still valid for us today.

When Jesus says that in seeing they do not perceive and in hearing they do not listen, he is talking about those who are against him, not those who follow him.

He tells his disciples that some have hearts that have grown dull. Those are the people who would hear the parable and brush it off as a silly story for children, nothing to concern themselves over.

In a way, the parable contains a secret message. The meaning is hidden from those who ignore the story, while it is revealed to those who know who Jesus is and what the reference is all about.

We listen to the parables and try to figure out who the characters in the story represent, knowing the story is about something or someone.

The Good Samaritan, for example, is about those who are trapped in the law and lose sight of compassion and concern for one’s fellow man.

It is also about the surprising act of the stranger, the one perceived as an enemy or an unclean person.

So, we can see more than one message in that parable, which others might ignore.

A Levite or a priest in Jesus’ time would see nothing wrong with avoiding contact with the beaten man, since he would be considered unclean, and they would have to purify themselves if they approached him.

How many of us would pass by a beggar on the street? Would we stop if someone was hurt?

The parable is a tool of self-discovery. When we hear the story, we immediately think of ourselves. Are we like that character?

The irony in what Jesus is telling his disciples is that those who fail to see and hear, may long to understand what the disciples know, but they are blind and deaf to the message.

It is ironic because today, people on both sides of an issue believe they see clearly and understand, while the other side doesn’t.

More to come...

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