And the disciples came and said to Him: "Why dost Thou speak to them in parables?" And He answered and said to them, "To you it hath been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to the rest that are outside, it hath not been given, but to them all things are done in parables. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but whosoever hath not, even what he hath shall be taken away from him. On this account I speak to them in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest haply they should turn and be forgiven. And to them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,

"With hearing ye shall hear and shall not at all understand; And seeing ye shall see and shall not at all perceive; For the heart of this people hath become gross, And with their ears they hear heavily, And their eyes they have closed; Lest they should see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and I should heal them."

"But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things ye see, and did not see them, and to hear the things ye hear, and heard them not."