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This is in response to the disciples asking why Jesus teaches in parables:

He said to them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables, so that although they look they may look but not see, and although they hear they may hear but not understand, so they may not repent and be forgiven." -Mark 4:11-12 New English Translation

Why does he say this? Why is he teaching at all if his intent is actually that the people not see, not understand, and not repent. It seems troubling.

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It seems clear to me that Jesus is not saying here that he's deliberately misleading his students. Rather, that some will not understand his teachings (at first), and that only those who understand (or subsequently gain understanding) are capable of repenting. –  Robert Harvey Dec 27 '11 at 22:24
@RobertHarvey, indeed, you should make an answer of it then. I noticed that the author of 'Hard sayings of Jesus' amazon.com/Hard-Sayings-Jesus-Library/dp/0877849277 found it vexing enough for an entry on it, which is partly why I ask the question –  aceinthehole Dec 28 '11 at 3:15
It wouldn't surprise me in the least. I'm not a Biblical scholar, and so don't feel like I could answer the question in a scholarly way, but I have noticed that some Christian intellectuals seem to make these things more difficult than they actually are. –  Robert Harvey Dec 28 '11 at 3:21
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9 Answers

Your Bible is missing the double quotes. Jesus is quoting Isaiah:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!” And he replied: Go and say to this people: Listen carefully, but do not understand! Look intently, but do not perceive! Make the heart of this people sluggish, dull their ears and close their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and their heart understand, and they turn and be healed.

Isaiah 6:8-10 (NABRE)

I think He's describing the process shown in the OT and exemplified throughout human history, not issuing a command.

According to the intratext in the NABRE, this is also quoted in

John 12:40; Acts 28:26; and Romans 11:8.

I can't say that I particularly understand the meaning of Jesus' words, but hopefully it'll point you in the right direction.

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I think you can expand on this even more by adding Matthew 13 which is the same event (Parabal of the Sower), written a little differently. I think Matthew explains it better Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. –  styfle Dec 27 '11 at 21:12
Feel free to edit it in there because you're absolutely right and the syncopation betwixt the two Gospels ought to be proof enough. –  Peter Turner Dec 27 '11 at 22:41
I did some major editing. I hope I didn't change your original intent. –  styfle Jan 1 '12 at 22:52
It just told me "You do not have edit privileges. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed." So how do I know how it was reviewed? –  styfle Jan 14 '12 at 11:05
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In your question, you recognize the inconsistency of the life and teachings of Jesus with the idea that Jesus did not want people to repent and be forgiven.

Indeed, the Bible is very clear that salvation is offered to all the world. Just a few references:

New Testament


So, anyone who believes receives eternal life. God loved the whole world--not just a few people. Jesus desired to gather in all of Israel, but the problem was the will of the people that would not follow God. Ultimately, people from every tribe, language, people and nation will be among those who do believe and do receive eternal life.

General revelation is given to all people, indeed, but why give general revelation or special revelation (in the Scriptures) to anyone if God doesn't want them to repent?

So, to conclude from the Mark 4:11-12 passage that Jesus does not want people to repent is inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. Consequently, that can be eliminated as a possible interpretation at the very beginning.

One possible explanation for this, however, is that in speaking in parables, Jesus gives sufficient light/revelation for anyone to come to Him, yet does not give too much light that a person may not refuse to come to Him. To those who harden their hearts, God allows them to do that without overwhelming them to the point of destroying their will.

As C. S. Lewis poignantly stated in The Screwtape Letters

“The Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of his scheme forbids him to use. Merely to override a human will… would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo” (C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters).

One final verse is important to understand:


So, Jesus does want all people to repent and believe and receive eternal life, and, indeed, He gives light to everyone (John 1:9)--sufficient light to believe, yet not much light to deprive us of our own wills.


A comment suggested that the "whole world" idea is strictly New Testament, while the Old Testament is all about preference for one people (the Jews). However, the whole world idea is clearly presented in the Old Testament as well:

  • I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, Genesis 26:4 ESV

The covenant with Israel actually only spans from Abraham to Christ (~2,000 B.C. to 33 A.D.). However, that covenant was expressly for the purpose of being a blessing (and bringing salvation) to the whole world. At Babel, the people were dispersed all over the world. God chose Abraham to proclaim God to the nations from the very outset. In the lineage of Jesus Himself, we find Rahab from Jericho, Ruth from Moab, and Urriah the Hittite.

Space does not permit a full discussion here, but suffice it to say that the "ends of the earth" reach of God's salvation in the New Testament is merely a continuation of that which began with the command to Adam to "fill the earth".

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The "whole world" aspect is a very NT thing; the OT is very much about prefering one set of peoples, while destroying (or ordering the destruction of) other peoples. Same unchanging God. –  Marc Gravell Dec 27 '11 at 19:52
@MarcGravell The idea of a the "whole world" has its origin in the Old Testament, so the New Testament is just a continuation of that theme. I have edited my answer to give a short intro into this. Specifically, Adam was told to fill the earth, and it wasn't until 2,000 years later that Abraham was chosen to be a blessing to all people. –  Narnian Dec 27 '11 at 20:29
I genuinely do appreciate the edit - and indeed there are a few quotations to that effect. The actions though, could be interpreted to give a different view. –  Marc Gravell Dec 27 '11 at 22:16
@MarcGravell I agree that there are certainly other interpretations that contradict this view. This view does have scriptural support, though, and is not an obscure or unfounded interpretation. –  Narnian Dec 27 '11 at 22:41
I don't disagree - I'm just saying: the many great mass-killings are also scriptural –  Marc Gravell Dec 27 '11 at 22:46
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Why does Jesus not want people to repent and be forgiven in Mark 4?

It is not that Jesus didn't want people to repent. Remember they were under the Law, he also had to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. If they understood what Jesus was teaching in the parable of the sower they would have not crucified him "Jesus". He was take them for a covenant of law to a covenant of Faith and grace. That is the covenant we have, this parable teaches you how The Kingdom of God works. Don't believe me. I'll show you how it works. The word of God was sown in your heart it grew and grew and grew Harvest came in you got born again. Some grow faster than other but it happen, Just like that sown, grew, harvest. That is one area of your life the word produced a hundredfold return for the Kingdom of God.

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The Bible was written particularly for a certain time, place, and reason. Questions you must ask is Why was Mark written, to whom was it written, when to name a few. People often a phrase out of context and apply it to any situation which changes the meaning of the original text. This is also a problem of translations as the more translations there are can make it more difficult for others to find the right meaning. For example NIV is tailored for gender neutral, international reading, and for 12th grade and above. Certain sacrifices are made to get the word out as correct as possible so the group it is written to can understand it. That's why as you get more advanced in studying the text you will look at the original language to fine tune your understanding. With that being said current Greek is different than New Testament Greek from thousands of years ago.

Here is a quote from The KJV Bible commentary:

Christ’s use of parables explained. 4:10–12.

"10–11. Unto you. Jesus said the truth is made clear to those who believe and follow Him. Them that are without. Without (Gr exō) would be better translated “outside” because it refers to those who are “outside” the kingdom of God.

12.Lest … they should be converted. A superficial understanding of this quote from Isaiah 6:9–10 has confused some about the Lord’s instructions regarding evangelism. Here He explains that details about God’s kingdom are not to be used to “prove” God’s message to anyone. Faith precedes proof, not vice versa. People are won “through the foolishness of preaching” not scientific facts. If that were the case, faith would be nothing more than the recognition of revealed evidence. "

Somethings in the Bible to understand you must be a Believer in Christ. For example if I am explaining it correctly there is a box people inside and people outside. If you don't know what is is the box you will not understand. If you are in the box you can see what it contains or at least understand. The disciples are to spread the Word so that those who don't understand or know can have Faith without seeing the direct Miracles or image of God.

I have not dived deep into this study but merely scratched the surface with some of my resources that I have on hand.

Hope that gets you a little closer to understanding. A recent book that I found to be helpful is Grasping God's Word by Scott Duvall. Sample of Chapter 1. http://www.zondervan.com/media/samples/pdf/0310259665_samptxt.pdf

See Side-by-side textual comparison: Image Link http://i.stack.imgur.com/yXLZH.jpg

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I upvoted but I think you should get rid of the intro since it is not relevant to the question or your answer. Also, it would be nice if you added your own words after the quote. –  styfle Dec 27 '11 at 21:03
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a brief explanation:


So, in telling parables, it isn't that Christ wants to withhold salvation from anyone. He's permitting a choice. It's a small reflection of the choice demanded by the person of Jesus' Himself. You see this when He questions Peter:


And at other times He states the choice-nature of salvation very explicitly:


So, He withholds understanding and salvation only from those who choose not to seek those things. In addition to respecting our freedom, this is simply how it works. Think of how easily an eager student understands what you're saying versus "that moron" in the chatroom you're arguing with!

And consider the verse that immediately precedes your problem verse:


The twelve are lumped together with some others who were present who didn't understand either. The difference between them and those who didn't understand is simply whether understanding was sought.

IN BRIEF: Jesus does want them to be forgiven and saved. But it requires them to explicitly choose [understanding,] forgiveness and salvation.

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That is what you call 'lost in translation' this is what it says in Greek:

lest ever they should turn and they should be forgiven them

First, it talks about the secret of the Kingdom of God. Which the Bible says that it is here now.
Well, where is it? It is a secret only xtians know.

Thus, understanding the kingdom of God, Mark 4:12 then explains that IN THE UNLIKELY EVEN that they repent, then Christ Jesus will forgive then.

Ironically, not even xtians and all their denominations, agree about the what/where/how/when/why of the Kingdom of God. Mainly because of Luke 17:21 NET:

nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst

Why the conflict? Well Sociology has taught us that a successful leadership team needs 5-12 members to work. Coincidentally, in Acts 2 there were about 3000+ xtians lead by 12 Apostles. I think xtians lost this model. Rulers like The Pope want all the power in the Kingdom of God. Thus bringing discord and many denominations and nondenominations. That is my humble theory.

Why so much talk about the Kingdom of God. Well Christ Jesus spent a lot of time talking about it. I think the 1st century xtians had it down. I cannot say the same about the 21st century xtians. And that is where Mark 4:11-12 comes in - simply a warning.

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You appear to be misreading this Scripture. As with most Scriptures, it is not possible to understand by taking a verse by itself. All surrounding factors must be taken into account for instance; we must understand, first of all who Jesus is talking to. In addition to that we must take into account who he is talking about. And lastly we must take into account the circumstance.

Also it is very difficult to understand the teachings of Jesus without referring back to the old Testament, since most of what Jesus said and did reflects directly back to it.

So let's break down this Scripture and see if we can determine exactly what Jesus was teaching.

Mark 4:11 KJV And he said unto them,

To whom is Jesus speaking? answer: He is speaking to those who have been with him to hear all that he has been teaching. These are also devout Jews who are well acquainted with the History of Israel, and with it's teachings, that is the Pentateuch and the prophets.(which incidentally may have a lot to do with why Jesus chose these specific twelve.)


point 1. Here Jesus is saying that not only are they well versed in the Scriptures but they have been given special understanding, by both being with him all the time and revelation by the Holy Spirit


Mark 4:14 The sower soweth the word.

point 2.

Here he is telling them that to the common people who are not as well versed as they are, therefore he (who was sent; by the Father; to the Nation of Israel) is giving them a simplified version.

point 3. Otherwise:

Mark 4:12 KJV That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand;

point 4. This is a direct reference to the Prophet Ezekiel , concerning the son of man, with which they were well acquainted.


And if they did understand what the Prophet was saying, they would:

point 5.


Turn back to God, and again become his people as promised in:


So from where am I drawing these conclusions?

point 1. My conclusion is drawn from:

Mark 4:13 KJV And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

Here Jesus is saying don't you know the Prophet Isaiah's saying? and if you don't understand this simple saying how will you ever understand the other parables I teach?

point 2. The common people he was talking to, only had the teachings of the Sanhedrin to go by, and never analyzed the Scriptures for themselves.

points 3. through 5. Seem self evident.

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Jesus' insistence on initially keeping the fact that he is the Messiah under wraps is a theological construct called the Messianic Secret.

Several theories have been proposed:

  1. It's just a narrative device, used to add tension
  2. Jesus did not want his crucifixion to occur until enough of Israel had a chance to decide
  3. God's love constrains him to not overwhelm those whom he would have choose him
  4. In the early church, the author of Mark may have wanted to tone down the Messiah thing in order to not alienate the other Jews (Wrede's hypothesis)

And many, many others.

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Why the downvote? –  Affable Geek Jan 17 at 2:00
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Why does Jesus not want people to repent and be forgiven in Mark 4? He DOES want people to repent and be forgiven, your translation is inaccurate. Your same New English Translation says "No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you will all perish as well!" -Luke 13:3 New English Translation

It Should Say He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” -Mark 4:11-12 (NIV)

Why does he say this? HE DOESN"T the New English Translation translated what he said incorrect.

Why is he teaching at all if his intent is actually that the people not see, not understand, and not repent. It seems troubling. It would be troubling if that is what he was teaching, but that is not what he was really teaching.

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protected by Caleb Jul 19 '13 at 15:47


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