Matthew 13:10 says, And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  The disciples asked Jesus why He spoke in parables.  This would have been a reasonable question.  We today may at times question why God works as He does.  This does not mean that we can refuse to allow God to work in His own way and still be true followers.  If we do question why God is working a particular way, we must be ready to hear and accept His answer.  Verse eleven states, He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  Jesus said that He spoke in parables so that those who believed in Him could understand what He was saying, but so that those who did not believe in Him would not understand.  This does not mean that Jesus was trying to hide the truth of the gospel from some, but instead that in order to understand God's word that we must first have a personal relationship with Christ.  The meaning of the parables would be revealed to those who had accepted Christ for Who He is, and that is Savior and Lord.  We can never come to Christ by our own understanding.  Verse twelve says, For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  I do not believe that Jesus was referring to material things, but to the acceptance of the gospel.  Those who have accepted the gospel will have an abundance of faith, and those who will not will ultimately have everything taken away from them.  Verse thirteen states, Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  Again, I believe that Jesus was referring to those who refused to acknowledge Him.  Many, many people today hear the word of God, but since they refuse to acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord, they do not understand what God's word is saying.  Verse fourteen says, And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  Another of the prophecies of Isaiah was fulfilled by the people not understanding what they saw Jesus do or heard Him say.  This does not mean that Jesus spoke in parables just to fulfill the prophecy, but that He knew that no matter how simply, some people will never hear and understand, because they do not accept Him.  Verse fifteen declares, For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  Jesus said the the hearts of the people in His day had grown cold, and they refused to hear what He taught.  If they had, He would have saved them.  There are many people today whose  hearts are cold to the word of God.  They refuse to accept the fact that He is the only way to salvation, and therefore cannot be saved.  Verse sixteen says, But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.  Jesus said that those who did hear and see what He did and understood and accepted His teachings were blessed.  This will always be true.  Verse seventeen declares, For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.  I believe that Jesus was saying that those prophets and righteous men who lived before He came could only live in hope of seeing the Messiah, but now He had come.  Though Jesus is not with us physically today, we can look back, if we put our faith in Him,  and know that His coming is not just a promise, but an accomplished fact.  Once we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, then the Holy Spirit will help us to understand the teachings of Jesus more thoroughly.