Why ?

Matthew 13:11-12….”Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.””

For me ‘why’ and ‘what’ are the questions presented here. Why are some granted knowledge and others are not ? I would suggest that the difference between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is that the ‘haves’ have insight, intuition and spiritual connection.

From a definition, intuition: the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning.

from Latin, late Latin and late Middle English(denoting spiritual insight or immediate spiritual connection)

Now for me insight should mean to look within…ie the heart, the spirit…..whereas ‘out-sight’ should imply reliance on the 5 senses. The ‘have nots’ take a literal reading of the parables and use logic and reasoning…..this produces the wisdom of men. What they have or understand is based on this and their inability to understand will result in frustration……what will be taken away is their faith in understanding anything.

I cringe when I hear ministers try to give a logical understanding of the parables. To me they are missing the mark. Literalism continues to be the death of the church and souls IMO…….

[sky]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Matthew 13:11-12.
Why are some granted knowledge and others are not ? I would suggest that the difference between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is that the ‘haves’ have insight, intuition and spiritual connection.

Knowledge without wisdom is pointless.... so imo the have's also have the wisdom to use the knowledge and the have not's don't....

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Matthew 13:11-12….”Jesus .... but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.””

Molearner, you have taken on a big subject, imo.
Some of the things in the New Testament even seasoned scholars don't understand.
Let's see what happens here. This is a tough one above.

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

. This is a tough one above.

Hi,

Yes, it is tough….very tough……to the point of seeming counterintuitive. We lean on scholars to help answer difficult questions but few, if any, scholars would include spiritual connection in there bona fides. The Message is a paraphrase version of the Bible……its version comes very close to what I have said……regard it as new eyes on this familiar verse.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

The reason for the parable is given: his disciples have been given "the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" and it was done so that the others, would not understand. Both groups were Jews but those who were Jesus' true followers, were the only ones who received the knowledge.

PART 2

I suspect both parties were given the same information.

One party used the information to find fault with Jesus and became clueless as to what he was saying.

The other group understood the meaning as the fulfillment of the scriptures that they had at that time were being fulfilled before there very own eyes.

[utopiandreamchild]

Originally Posted by Molearner

Matthew 13:11-12….”Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away .

One must understand that God knows the hearts of men and their true intentions, what's really in their hearts and who the faithful few are.
Jesus understood that.

utopiandreamchild

[sky]

As I said in my previous Post which is just my personal opinion. Knowledge without the wisdom to use in its pointless. I can learn (know) how to drive a car but without the wisdom to put the knowledge into practise the car remains in the Garage. I presume Jesus gave the 'Knowledge' to those who He recognised as being wise enough to put it into practise. Those 'have nots' wouldn't recognise what knowledge is so it wouldn't flourish/grow....

[Dogensoto]

Maybe it's a blessing to have "things we know" taken away from us.

Meister Eckhart:- "Love has no why"

What is there to "know"?

Going back to the original quote we read ‘mysteries of the kingdom’……IMO these are the secrets of God and God alone…..that only God can give. One that is given these secrets cannot give them to another…..they will only fall on deaf ears and blind eyes. The preparatory work that must be done to receive these secrets is to be born again. With being born again one receives new eyes….new ears. The value of Scripture is to point one to this realization. Essentially this inner work reveals the God that is within you and places you in the kingdom of heaven. It is God’s wish for all to enter the kingdom of heaven and this is demonstrated by realizing that this was the most consistent focus of the teachings of Jesus.

Rumi, Hafez, Rilke…..they provide glimpses of truth. Whenever I search for their quotes I do it with anticipation. I have the mindset that the gems they provide must be contemplated to appreciate the wisdom they contain. We can benefit by approaching the parables with this same mindset. Our daily bread…the Scriptures….demand digestion, contemplation and interpretation. This process is a key to the abundant life promised by Jesus IMO……