And with many such parables, he spoke to them the word, according as they were able to hear.
και τοιαυταις παραβολαις πολλαις ελαλει αυτοις τον λογον καθως εδυναντο ακουειν
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The Lord communicated with the populace through numerous parables, tailoring His messages to suit the understanding of His listeners. Aware of their simplicity and lack of education, He referenced the mustard seed, the herb, and the seed, intending to impart valuable lessons using relatable and commonplace elements. This approach encouraged them to engage and inquire, allowing them to grasp concepts that were previously unclear to them.
In concluding with the declaration: He who has ears to hear, let him hear, the Lord continued to teach through parables. This method was intended for the Apostles so that the teachings could take deeper root and engage their focus.
The Evangelist Mark recounts that Jesus Christ conveyed His message to the crowds through numerous parables; however, not all of these teachings were preserved by the Evangelists. The Evangelist Matthew, focusing on how Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecies in his Gospel, notes that by teaching in parables, Jesus realized what God had declared through the prophet David. The seventy-seventh psalm begins with a call to attentiveness: ‘Take heed, my people, to my law; incline your ear to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable’ (Psalm 77:1).
To further unveil the secrets of the kingdom of heaven to His disciples, the Saviour provided them with additional parables that built upon a central theme. In the parable of the sower, He elucidated the process of sowing seed and the different outcomes based on the conditions of various hearts. Following this, the Saviour illustrated the transformative potential of the seed within an open and receptive heart. The Kingdom of God is comparable to a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31-32, Mk. 4:30-34), which, although it is among the tiniest of seeds, grows to become larger than any other plant, eventually forming a tree that offers shelter to the birds of the air. Similarly, it is akin to leaven that a woman incorporates into three measures of flour until the entire batch has risen.
Just as a mustard seed inherently develops into a towering tree and leaven naturally influences all the dough, the New Testament kingdom, despite its modest origins, is destined to spread its reach across the entire globe, infusing it with its intrinsic spirit. Establishing this kingdom does not necessitate external violent upheavals or fierce conflicts, as some listeners might have envisioned. Instead, the Saviour proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven would prevail through the inherent power of truth, and by this very power—the power of faith and love—it would transform the world.
Through numerous parables, He shared the teachings of the kingdom of God. Those who were able to listen were encouraged to grasp the message He proclaimed. The listeners resembled children, needing to comprehend the essence of the world's salvation step by step. Initially, they might not fully grasp the profound mystery of God's kingdom, which was still unclear to the disciples, but they could begin to perceive the surface of the doctrine, gaining at least a glimpse into the deeper truths that lay beneath it.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 11 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS