Read & explore together
Why Jesus Uses Parables
These two verses explain how Jesus spoke to the multitudes. They say he used parables in this teaching and that Matthew connects this pattern with words spoken through a prophet.
Understanding the passage
Understanding the passage
Matthew 13:34–35 describes Jesus’ way of speaking to the multitudes. Verse 34 states that he spoke these things in parables and not without a parable. Verse 35 then explains this with a quotation introduced as words spoken through the prophet.
Matthew 13:34–35Main takeaway
Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and Matthew says this matches the prophet’s words about speaking in parables and uttering things hidden from the foundation of the world.
Explore the teaching
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Jesus spoke these things in parablesVerse 34 states plainly that Jesus spoke “all these things in parables” to the multitudes.
Explanation
Verse 34 states plainly that Jesus spoke “all these things in parables” to the multitudes. The stress falls on the way he taught this crowd. These verses do not add a new parable. They stop to explain the manner of Jesus’ teaching to the multitudes.
02The statement is very strongMatthew adds, “without a parable, he didn’t speak to them”. This strengthens the point already made.
Explanation
Matthew adds, “without a parable, he didn’t speak to them”. This strengthens the point already made. In this part of the passage, parables were not occasional additions. They marked how Jesus spoke to “them”, that is, the multitudes named in the same verse.
03Matthew gives an explanationVerse 35 begins, “that it might be fulfilled” what was spoken through the prophet. So this verse is Matthew’s explanation of Jesus’ teaching method, not another parable event.
Explanation
Verse 35 begins, “that it might be fulfilled” what was spoken through the prophet. So this verse is Matthew’s explanation of Jesus’ teaching method, not another parable event. He presents Jesus’ use of parables as fitting words that had already been spoken.
04The prophet’s words are quotedThe quotation has two linked lines: “I will open my mouth in parables” and “I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”
Explanation
The quotation has two linked lines: “I will open my mouth in parables” and “I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.” Matthew uses this quotation to describe Jesus’ speaking. The verse says these hidden things are uttered, while leaving the full implications unstated here.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What does verse 34 say about the way Jesus spoke to the multitudes?
Notice both parts of the verse: it says he spoke “all these things in parables” and then repeats the point negatively.
02How does verse 35 show that Matthew is explaining Jesus’ method rather than telling another parable?
Look at the opening words, “that it might be fulfilled”, and see that Matthew is linking Jesus’ speaking with the prophet’s words.
03What are the two parts of the prophet’s quotation in verse 35?
Read the quotation slowly and identify the two parallel statements about speaking in parables and uttering hidden things.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Matthew 13:34–35
34Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them,
35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”