Riddle Me This
Parables of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.
To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.
That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.
To offer an illustration without stating the point, however, was like presenting a riddle instead (compare Test. Ab. 12–13A). By articulating his principles only in parables, Jesus offers riddles whose answer can be fathomed only by those who understand them in the context of his own ministry (for example, events like the Pharisees’ rejection—12:24–45) or who patiently press into his inner circle to wait for the interpretation (13:12; compare Irenaeus Adversus haereses 2.27.3).
To offer an illustration without stating the point, however, was like presenting a riddle instead (compare Test. Ab. 12–13A). By articulating his principles only in parables, Jesus offers riddles whose answer can be fathomed only by those who understand them in the context of his own ministry (for example, events like the Pharisees’ rejection—12:24–45) or who patiently press into his inner circle to wait for the interpretation (13:12; compare Irenaeus Adversus haereses 2.27.3).
Keener, C. S. (1997). Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 13:10–17). InterVarsity Press.