2. WHY JESUS SPAKE IN Mark 4:10-13 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parables.--Jesus spake many parables and now the disciples ask concerning the design of all his parables. Matthew (Matthew 13:10) says: "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" Before this, the teaching of Jesus had been plain and direct, but now "without a parable spake he nothing unto them." (Verse 34.) Luke (Luke 8:9) says they "asked him what this parable might be." 11 And he said unto them, Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God:--[So also there were profound and sublime truths of the kingdom of God, which men could grasp and appreciate, only when they had put themselves under the tutelage of Christ. We are not to understand "mystery" in the sense of something which never could be understood, as some take it even now. This was spoken to and of his disciples.] but unto them that are without,--Mere idle, careless hearers, who have not interest enough to put themselves under the special teaching of the Master. all things are done in parables:--This and the next verse were also spoken to his disciples but about those not disciples. The parables are really the testing point. If they are ready for the kingdom, they will not be satisfied with the parable. The spiritual nature realizes there is a truth hidden, and desires to know that truth, and will come within and seek the special teaching of Jesus to know it. The "mysteries of the kingdom" does not mean a doctrine incomprehensible in itself but doctrine about the establishment and work of the kingdom of God which had not been fully understood. The apostles and first disciples of our Lord thought that his mission on earth was to establish a political kingdom; and the spiritual nature of this kingdom was a mystery to them until they understood it. 12 that seeing they may see, and not perceive;--They had organs of vision which could observe natural objects but their mental perceptions were so filled with gross cares as to prevent their mental perception of receiving the truths contained in the parable. and hearing they may hear, and not understand;--They had ears that could hear the voice of the teacher, who spoke in a known tongue to them, and they doubtless knew the outward facts of the Savior's works, but the spiritual truths Jesus designed to teach by these things they did not understand for the reason they made no effort upon their part. Man must make some effort to understand the teaching of Jesus, or else, he will go through life blinded. lest haply they should turn again, and it should be forgiven them.--The hearing, understanding, and turning is man's duty, the forgiving is God's pleasure. But he cannot and will not forgive, until man does his part. He must show interest by acting his part. He must come to Christ for complete instruction. It was so then. It is so now. The Spirit speaks to him through the Word. (John 6:44-45.) If he listens with such interest as induces him to seek anxiously the whole truth, there is no aid that it will not afford, and he will turn again and be forgiven. The eyes that are blinded are the eyes that do not desire to see, and the ears that are deafened are the ears that do not desire to hear--moral unwillingness resulting in moral inability. To hear, and understand what we hear, is necessary in order to conversion--at least understand enough to know what the Lord requires, in order that it may be obeyed and man saved. The scribes and Pharisees had hardened their hearts, stuffed their ears, and closed their eyes, as the Jews had done in the days of Isaiah. They were determined not to believe the teachings of Jesus. Now he speaks in parables--not that he does not desire all to know the truth, but that those who desire the truth may be separated from those who have rejected it. God has so arranged it that people must desire the truth in order to receive it, and yet all who desire it--hunger and thirst after it--have the blessed assurance that they can understand and receive it. This is the key to the whole matter. Careless seeing and careless hearing destroy the soul. God will afford to every soul so much as it is willing and anxious to receive. Matthew (Matthew 13:13-15) says: "Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive; For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them." This Isaiah foretold of the condition of the Jewish people. They would close their eyes, stop their ears, harden their hearts, refuse to hear God's word, lest they should be converted, and then God would heal them. Men usually fail to hear and understand God because they will not do it. When they thus show themselves unwilling to obey God he determines to destroy them, and so speaks to them as to harden their hearts and lead them down to destruction. He, too, spoke truth that they could have understood to their salvation had they been willing to be taught of God. But in their unwillingness to learn of God they perverted the truths to their own ruin. God hardened Pharaoh's heart because he was wicked, to publicly lead him to ruin as an example to others. The means God used to harden Pharaoh's heart was the truth--the same truth he used to touch and tender the hearts of the children of Israel. The truth that softened and tendered the hearts of one class and caused them to follow Moses to freedom hardened the heart of the other and led him to ruin. So in the case before us. The truths which drew the disciples closer to Jesus drove the scribes and Pharisees further from him. The Lord said: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11.) God's word will have success. It will prosper and succeed in accomplishing the thing for which it was sent. It was sent into the world to either save or damn the souls of men. If man receives it and is guided by it, it will be the means of saving him. If he rejects it, it will be the means of damning him. Man's eternal destiny depends upon how he treats the word of God. It is a steppingstone to heaven, if accepted, but a stumbling stone to hell if rejected. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24.) God did not take away their freedom. "Come unto me . . . and I will give you rest" was and is the invitation to all. Their moral inability was the result of their moral unwillingness. (John 5:40.) They were reaping the fruit of the seed they had sown. 13 And he saith unto them, Know ye not this parable?--This which is so plain and obvious. The disciples had asked its meaning. (Luke 8:9.) This question is preparatory to the one that follows. and how shall ye know all the parables?--That is, if you do not understand one so plain and simple as this one, how will you comprehend those more difficult and obscure?