10 As soon as He was alone, [a]His followers, along with the twelve disciples, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for (A)those who are outside, everything comes (B)in parables, 12 so that (C)while seeing they may see, and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear, and not understand, otherwise they might return and it would be forgiven them.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:10 Lit those about Him

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God(A) has been given to you. But to those on the outside(B) everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a](C)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:12 Isaiah 6:9,10

Why Jesus Used Stories

(Matthew 13.10-17; Luke 8.9,10)

10 When Jesus was alone with the twelve apostles and some others, they asked him about these stories. 11 He answered:

I have explained the secret about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can use only stories. 12 (A) The reason is,

“These people will look
    and look, but never see.
They will listen and listen,
    but never understand.
If they did,
they would turn to God
    and be forgiven.”

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10-12 When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward a welcome awakening. These are people—

Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”

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