Matthew 13:35
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Jesus fulfilled the ancient prophecy by teaching the crowds in parables and revealing truths hidden since the world began. He made heavenly realities plain by illustrating the unknown from the known, using familiar natural things and everyday experiences to link earth with heaven and lead minds to spiritual truth. He spoke in clear, simple, attractive words so that old and young, learned and unlearned could grasp profound meaning, and He fixed truth in memory so that seeing the images afterward would recall the lesson. It is given to God's people to know these mysteries of the kingdom, including the silent, all-pervading power of divine truth and the binding claims of God's law that test character. His parables must be studied until their meaning is known and then explained to others, even though some mysteries of God's word and providence remain beyond finite understanding and are not to be pried into.
Teaching Through Parables
Jesus spoke all these things to the multitudes in parables, and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled that He would open His mouth in parables and utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world. His use of parables was the fulfillment of the prophet's words, teaching through familiar earthly and natural things to reveal divine truths hidden from the world's beginning. The unknown was illustrated by the known, for divinity was veiled in humanity, and teaching was by illustrations and parables drawn from nature and the familiar events of everyday life. Natural things were associated with spiritual things, linking the things of nature and the life experience of the hearers with the sublime spiritual truths of the written word. His parables connected the experiences of His hearers and the natural world with the truths of Scripture, leading from earthly things to spiritual realities and joining humanity with God and earth with heaven.
He presented spiritual and heavenly realities through familiar things from nature and experience, making truth fresh and clear. He unfolded the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven in parables through figures and symbols familiar to His hearers, illustrating the glories of the kingdom of God by the experiences and occurrences of earth. His manner of teaching was beautiful and attractive and ever characterized by simplicity, with clear, plain, simple language and symbols and no high-sounding words needing a dictionary. The old and young, the ignorant and the learned, ordinary people, and even those slow to understand could catch the full meaning of His words and grasp truths of deep meaning, so the common people heard Him gladly because they could comprehend Him. He spoke slowly and impressively with a musical voice, emphasizing words deserving special attention, and in compassionate love and tenderness He cheered and comforted and instructed all who heard Him, for grace was poured upon His lips to convey the treasures of truth in the most attractive way.
By figures and illustrations from nature and everyday life He made divine principles memorable, stirred interest and inquiry, and impressed truth on the heart and on His hearers so they could later recall it. The images could recall His teaching afterward, and the lessons were repeated whenever the eyes rested on the objects associated with eternal truth. He taught in parables because He greatly desired to open the blinded eyes of His people so they could see the uselessness of the multitudinous traditional ceremonies that constituted their religion, and giving His lessons in parables was the only way He could reach them.
Hidden Truths Revealed
Christ's mission brought into human understanding truths that had been hidden from the foundation of the world, opening deeper mysteries and the wisdom of salvation to those who saw and heard Him. These were truths that earlier prophets and righteous people had longed to witness, now made known to living hearers. He uttered them in parables, teaching profound truths in familiar, simple language and plain symbols and illustrations so that ordinary people could grasp the lessons.
It is given to God's people to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, which He unfolded in parables through figures and symbols familiar to His hearers, illustrating the glories of God's kingdom by earthly experiences and occurrences. He opens hidden things kept secret from the foundation of the world in order to awaken understanding, desiring every means to be put in operation to arouse people, bring them to their senses, show them their transgression and sins, and gain the attention of those who do not know the truth. His manner of teaching was beautiful and attractive and ever characterized by simplicity, with no high-sounding words needing a dictionary, so that old and young, ignorant and learned could catch the full meaning and the common people heard Him gladly because they could comprehend Him. He spoke slowly and impressively with a musical voice, emphasizing words deserving special attention, and in compassionate love and tenderness cheered and comforted and instructed all who heard Him, for grace was poured upon His lips to convey the treasures of truth in the most attractive way.
He spoke all things to the multitudes in parables and without a parable did not speak to them, that the prophecy might be fulfilled that He would open His mouth in parables and utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world. The parables are educating in nature and must be studied until their meaning is known. The secret so uttered in the parable of the leaven is the silent, hidden, all-pervading and powerful influence of divine truth upon individuals and communities, representing the work of God's messengers in carrying the gospel to places where it is not known.
He Himself talks with His disciples by the way and opens the Scriptures to them so that their hearts burn within them, presenting to them things kept secret from the foundation of the world. The truths thus revealed include the evidence of the binding claims of the law of God and the enjoined obedience to His commandments, which exposes character in contrast to its requirements. God's message revealing things kept secret cannot be destroyed by rejecting or burning it, for the Holy Spirit caused the rejected message to be written again with more added to it.
Not every mystery is open to human understanding, for while He could have revealed mysteries that patriarchs and prophets longed to understand, He instead made truth fresh and clear by presenting spiritual and heavenly realities through familiar things from nature and experience. Some things hidden since the foundation of the world include mysteries in God's word, providence, and plan of salvation that the finite human mind cannot fathom. People should therefore follow God's revealed will rather than neglect it in an attempt to uncover what He has hidden, pry into hidden secrets, or build theories that weaken simple faith.
Studying And Sharing Truth
The parables are educating in nature and must be studied until their meaning is known. Jesus spoke all these things to the people in parables and spoke nothing to them without a parable, so that the prophecy would be fulfilled that He would open His mouth in parables and utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.
His teachings were faithfully recorded by His disciples and remain essential instruction for believers in every age, including those ministering in the last days. After He taught the people, His disciples mingled with them and explained what He had said by showing what the Scriptures taught, which helped correct hearers who had misapplied His words.
He opens hidden things kept secret from the foundation of the world in parables to awaken the understanding of the people, for it is given to God's people to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. He desires every means put in operation to arouse people, bring them to their senses, show them their transgression and sins, and gain the attention of those who do not know the truth, as a work not yet carried forward as He designs it to be. Through parables He speaks truths kept secret since the foundation of the world, and His teaching draws on ordinary features of nature to make divine wisdom plain so that even listeners slow to understand can grasp its ennobling truths. Nature holds treasures of wisdom that God can reveal for His people's work.