Luke 9-10
The Meaning of the Parable
The disciples asked him what the parable meant. “To you,” he said, “the secrets of God's kingdom have been given. But for the rest it comes in parables — so that looking, they do not see; listening, they do not understand.
Additional Notes
-
Context Isaiah 6:9-10 expand_more
Jesus quotes Isaiah's commissioning vision, where the prophet is told his message will harden hearts rather than open them. This is not predestination — it is prophetic judgment on willful rejection. Isaiah's audience had every opportunity to hear; they chose not to. The parables function as both invitation and judgment — they reveal truth to those who seek and conceal it from those who will not engage. The “so that” (ἵνα) has generated centuries of debate: does it express purpose or result? Most scholars read it as consequence rather than divine intention to blind.