What does Matthew 13:34 mean?
Matthew has been clear that Jesus' teaching is directed at two separate audiences: His closest followers and "the crowds" (Matthew 13:10–11). Here Matthew repeats that, at this phase of His ministry, Jesus only taught the crowds in parables, somewhat obscuring His specific meaning about the stories and illustrations. This seems to mark a change in strategy, at least from Jesus' clear instruction in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7). That contrast is not an accident, however.Jesus previously answered a question from the disciples about why He was doing this. In short, their hearts are already dull (Matthew 13:12–16). Since the nation of Israel, as a whole, has refused to understand that He is the Messiah, they will not be given more clear revelation about the nature of the kingdom of heaven. Their own refusal to believe results in God's judgment, which takes the form of being made even more resistant.