10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (Matthew 13:10-11 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Here we have the disciples’ question, and our Saviour’s answer.
Their question is, Why speakest thou to the people in parables which they do not understand? They cannot see the soul of thy meaning, through the body of thy parables.
Christ answers, “To you, my disciples, and such as you are, who love the truth, and desire to obey it, the Spirit gives you an affective, operative, and experimental knowledge, not barely to know these things, but to believe them, and feel the power of them in and upon your own hearts; but the generality of hearers do satisfy and content themselves with a bare notional knowledge of what they hear; a parable therefore is well enough for them.”
Learn, 1. That the doctrines of the gospel are mysterious.
2. That it is a matchless and invaluable privilege, practically and savingly to understand and know gospel mysteries.
3. That this privilege all are not sharers in or partakers of, but only those to whom it is given, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to them it is not given.