Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 4:10-12

So, why does Jesus tell parables? What is their purpose? More fundamentally, what is the purpose of his mission? In summary, Jesus came to announce the Kingdom of God, and so the parables need to be seen as part of the package by which he does that.

Essentially that is what is stated here, in this little section on the purpose of the parables, as he talks about having secrets and whether, or not, and by whom, they are understood. He uses a quotation that is based on Isaiah 6:9 – Go and say to this people: ‘Keep listening, but do not comprehend: keep looking, but do not understand.” It seems strange that the people will have their senses numbed, so that they do not understand. Yet maybe what we have here is simply the statement of a truth. In many circumstances we can see people not ‘getting’ something obvious and important. Questions of prejudice and tribalism abound, and we wonder why people do not understand. Is it in a similar way that the question is posed as to why the message of God’s Kingdom is so misunderstood, including the specific point about not understanding the parables?

The prophets often faced the challenge of the people not understanding the message that they were proclaiming on God’s behalf. As Vincent Taylor (The Gospel according to St. Mark) comments – “It is possible that Jesus was impressed by the similarity between the results of his ministry and the experience of Isaiah and that he made use of the ironic words of Isaiah 6:9f.” Taylor adds – “To the disciples it had been given to know the secret of the Kingdom, but to those without everything happened in riddles.”

Of course, the disciples frequently appear not to understand. I wonder if there are things that we know, or should know, but of which we do not take enough notice.