Mark 4:11-12

“And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven’” (Mark 4:11-12).

Question:

I am a minister and came across this puzzling passage. Seems like Jesus is being harsh on those “on the outside.” This verse seems to contradict Jesus’ ministry to the plain folk. It is exclusive, rather than inclusive. What might be the metaphysical meaning of this passage? Thanks.

Comment:

It is, indeed, a puzzling passage—at least in its final phrases. Jesus is speaking in private, to his closest followers, immediately after teaching to a large crowd by the sea. His disciples are questioning his use of parables; his initial point—that not everyone is ready to hear his message—is to be found throughout the Gospels, in such statements as “Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.” Jesus knows how radical his teachings are and how resistant many people will be (and continue to be) to embracing them. He realizes that his own purpose is not to persuade those who are resistant, but to encourage those who are intuitively ready to hear and know the Truth. He tells his disciples to do likewise when he sends them out to carry the message, as in Matthew 10: “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town” (Matthew 10:14). In other words, don’t expend your energy on those unwilling or unable to truly hear and receive the teaching.

That kind of pragmatic realization that not everyone is going to be open to spiritual truth does not seem to me to be in conflict with the universality of Jesus’ message. It isn’t judgmental; it doesn’t condemn those not ready to hear. It simply recognizes that spiritual awareness is an individual process, and it’s better to respect where a person is on his/her personal path than to attempt to force them beyond their present comfort level. 

The final phrase—“so that they may not turn again and be forgiven”—sounds a lot more judgmental and divisive.  It could, of course, be more of a reflection of the author’s belief than of Jesus’—especially since there is no similar statement elsewhere in the Gospels. This is the virtually unanimous opinion of the members of the Jesus Seminar. What we do see throughout the Gospels, however, is Jesus learning more and more about the Christ nature he was embodying and the Christ message he was sharing. He initially seems to assume that his message was exclusively for Jews, for example, but learns through such episodes as the healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7) that the Christ is universal. This passage may reflect an early assumption about inclusivity versus exclusivity that he would quickly leave behind. No one can know for sure—although I tend to believe that the author was more concerned with distinguishing between those in and out of the struggling early church than Jesus was with judging any of his followers.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed