In Matthew 13:1-15 Jesus teaches a large crowd from a boat by the lake using the Parable of the Sower, then explains to his disciples why he speaks in parables.
(Verses 1-9) Jesus leaves a house, sits by the sea, and gets into a boat because the crowd on the shore is too large.
He tells a story about a farmer scattering seed that lands on four types of ground. Seeds fall on the hard path and birds eat them. Seeds fall on shallow soil, sprout quickly, but wither when the sun scorches them because they lack roots. Seeds fall among thorns that grow up and choke the plants. Seeds fall on good earth and produce a crop yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks to the crowds using parables.He replies that the secrets of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to them, but not to the general public. Jesus quotes the Prophecy of Isaiah, explaining that the people's hearts have grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes to avoid true spiritual understanding and healing

The passages teach that spiritual truth requires an open heart; without a willingness to turn to God, people hear the message physically but fail to perceive it spiritually. Those who value and respond to truth are given more understanding, while those who are indifferent lose even what they think they have.
🌷