Jesus Christ Has Overcome the World

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you ^(A)plainly about the Father.

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, ^(A)but you cannot bear them now.

^28 (A)I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

²⁹ His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!

⁶ Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(A)

¹³ And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

Prophecy and the Parables

^34 (A)All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, ³⁵ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

The Purpose of Parables^(A)

¹⁰ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

¹¹ He answered and said to them, “Because ^(B)it has been given to you to know the ^[a]mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, ^(A)we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, ^(B)who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at ^(C)the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But ^(D)their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless ^(E)when one turns to the Lord, ^(F)the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now ^(G)the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is ^(H)liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding ^(I)as in a mirror ^(J)the glory of the Lord, ^(K)are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as ^[a]by the Spirit of the Lord.