Jesus said all these things to the people in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them.
This verse highlights the steady and purposeful way Jesus taught. He spoke to the people in parables because that form was both accessible to the listener and a test for the heart. Parables were outwardly simple stories from everyday life, yet they carried deep spiritual truths within them, which were opened only to those who had spiritual hearing and a humble heart. In this way Jesus did not force the truth, but invited listeners to reflect, to seek, and to understand. The parable became a means of sifting: it revealed the truth to those who were seeking it, while for the indifferent it remained merely a story. This statement shows that the mysteries of the kingdom of God are not grasped through superficial hearing, but are opened only through faith and inner readiness.