When He was alone, those around Him with the disciples were asking Him about the parable.
This verse shows the difference between superficial hearers and true disciples. The crowd heard the parable, but those who had remained around Him, together with the disciples, are the ones who ask about the meaning of the parable. This is very important. Discipleship does not mean understanding everything immediately. It means staying around Christ, having questions, and coming to Him with those questions. Humble seeking is the path to truth. They were not satisfied with the outward beauty of the parable, but desired to penetrate into its meaning. So also in the life of faith, many times a person does not understand everything from the first hearing. But if he remains with the Lord, asks, and reflects on the given message, then he receives illumination. This episode is an encouragement for all who sincerely want to understand the mysteries of Holy Scripture, but still have difficulties.