The Purpose of Parables^(A)

^10 (B)But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

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 (C)For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

¹⁶ But ^(I)blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; ¹⁷ for assuredly, I say to you ^(J)that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

³⁴ But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, ^(A)He explained all things to His disciples.

The Purpose of Parables^(A)

^9 (B)Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

¹⁰ And He said, “To you it has been given to know the ^[a]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

The Parable of the Sower Explained^(D)

^11 (E)“Now the parable is this: The seed is the ^(F)word of God. ¹² Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³ But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of ^[b]temptation fall away. ¹⁴ Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, ^(G)riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with ^(H)patience.^[c]

^17 (A)When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.

The Parable of the Tares Explained

³⁶ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”