Verse 11
And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Christ turned to teaching in parables after opposition developed against his divine mission; and this verse shows that Christ designed the parables, at least in part, to conceal his teachings from those who were not sincerely seeking to know and do his will. The harmless and innocent stories which the Great Teacher told gave nothing at all for the Pharisees' spies to report. MYSTERIES of the kingdom mentioned here refer generally to Christ's redemptive message which appeared mysterious enough to those secular and materialistic persons who had no proper conception of the Messiah's purpose. "Mystery," as used in the New Testament, referred to things concerning the kingdom of God, hidden from all previous generations; but then, in Christ, revealed to the apostles, and later to all mankind (Romans 16:25-27; 1 Corinthians 2:7,8).
Be the first to react on this!