Matthew 13:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

NIV: The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"

NASB: And the disciples came up and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?'

CSB: Then the disciples came up and asked him, "Why are you speaking to them in parables?"

NLT: His disciples came and asked him, 'Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?'

KJV: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

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

Matthew described Jesus speaking to a large crowd gathered on the shore of the Sea of Galilee while sitting in a boat. It is possible that the conversation with His closer group of disciples (Matthew 13:10–23) takes place after that larger teaching session has ended.

In either case, Matthew pictures two different groups of people listening to Jesus' teaching. One group is made up of His disciples, which would have included the Twelve (Matthew 10:1–4) and possibly others. The other group is "the crowds." This segment is made up of Israelites who have travelled far to find healing for themselves or their loved ones, to witness miraculous healings, or to hear Jesus' teaching.

The disciples now ask why Jesus speaks to the other group, the crowds, in parables. Jesus has not always done this when speaking to large crowds, including in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7). It may represent a change in His teaching style. This change makes Jesus' immediate meaning less clear, something the disciples would have wondered about. Christ will show in the following verses He is deliberately adding a thin layer of obscurity to His teaching, and will explain why.

Matthew 13:10–17 comes in between Jesus' telling of the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1–9) and His explanation of that story (Mathew 13:18–23). The disciples ask why Jesus so often uses parables when teaching crowds of people. According to Jesus, the disciples are privileged to know secrets that the prophets and righteous people longed to know. His use of unexplained parables, in part, is because Israel has rejected Jesus as the Messiah. This will fulfill Isaiah's prophecy about those with dull hearts who will hear without understanding. Otherwise, they would turn and be healed.

Matthew 13 focuses mainly on a series of parables. Jesus first describes these to a large crowd along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Later, in a house, He explains to the disciples the meanings of the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the fish caught in the net. Jesus then travels to Nazareth, teaches in the synagogue, and is rejected by the people of His original hometown.

Matthew 13 follows Jesus from the overcrowded house at the end of the previous chapter to a crowded beach on the Sea of Galilee. He teaches a large crowd in a series of parables, which He doesn't fully explain. However, He reveals their meaning to His disciples inside a nearby house. Jesus pictures the kingdom of heaven as a sower, a sabotaged field of wheat, a mustard seed, and a pearl dealer, among other things. He then travels to His original hometown of Nazareth where He is rejected by the people He grew up with. This leads Matthew back to depictions of Jesus' miracles, after sadly recording John the Baptist's death.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.