You Are Not a Neutral Listener: What the Parables of Jesus Reveal About You

Warning: listening to Jesus' parables will reveal something about you.

That is not how most of us think about the stories of Jesus. We tend to approach them as if they are lessons waiting for us to decode them, insights waiting for us to grasp. We assume our role is to listen, consider, and then decide what they mean.

But Jesus does not describe them that way.

In Matthew 13, the disciples ask a question that reveals how Jesus understands His own teaching:

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. (Matthew 13:10–13, ESV).

Notice that Jesus does not say that He uses parables “to make things easier to understand.” Instead, He ties His use of parables directly to the condition of the people hearing them. Some hear and are changed by what they hear. Others hear the same words and nothing happens at all.

This means the parables are not just revealing truth but also revealing us.

The real question is not, “What does this parable mean?” but, “What does the way I hear it say about me?”

Wanting “More” Isn’t Neutral

To understand the concept I'm driving at, we need to look more closely at how people responded to Jesus.

One chapter earlier, a group of religious leaders comes to Jesus and makes a request:

“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you” (Matthew 12:38).

It is a simple statement, right? Aren't they just looking for confirmation? Aren't they just being cautious?

At first glance, it does not seem unreasonable. The problem is that the context of the book of Matthew forces us to ask: Why are they asking for more?

By this point in Matthew’s gospel, they have already seen Jesus’ works. They have heard His teaching. They have watched Him heal, restore, and confront. So the issue with asking for a sign isn't that they haven’t already seen one. It is their refusal to respond to what has already been given.

But this raises an important question. When the disciples come to Him in the next chapter and ask, “Why do you speak in parables?” are they also out of line in asking for clarity?

Both groups ask. Both groups move toward Jesus, requesting more. But the text separates them—not by what they ask, but by why they ask.

The disciples are seeking more understanding. The religious leaders are asking for more—but not for the same reason.

Let me give you a major Bible-based principle: What looks like careful evaluation can actually be resistance in disguise.

And this is exactly what the parables are revealing when we hear them.

The Many Faces of Resistance

The request for more proof in Matthew 12 is not an isolated moment—it is part of a larger pattern that begins to take shape as we watch how people respond to Jesus.

In Matthew 12:2, the Pharisees confront Jesus because His disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath. Their concern appears to be about obedience to the law. But instead of recognizing what is happening in front of them, they focus on a technical violation.

In other words, they deflect. They shift the conversation into a debate they can control.

A few verses later, in Matthew 12:24, the same group witnesses Jesus cast out a demon. The act is undeniable. Something powerful has taken place. But the implication of what they have seen should result in their surrender to the lordship of Jesus. So... they reinterpret it.

“He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” they said.

They distorted what is obvious so that it no longer requires a submissive response.

And then, in Matthew 12:38, they ask for a sign.

In reality, this is a delay on their part. They ask for more light, not because they lack it, but because they are not willing to believe in what they already have.

Deflection. Distortion. Delay.

It is worth noticing how different these responses look on the surface. One appears careful and precise. Another appears bold and decisive. The third appears cautious and thoughtful.

But underneath, they are doing the same thing. The religious leaders are protecting themselves from the implications of what Jesus is revealing.

Sometimes resistance looks like analysis. Sometimes it appears to be conviction. Sometimes it even looks like a spiritual concern. But if it avoids responding to Jesus as Lord, it is still resistance.

So there is an unavoidable question you and I must ask ourselves: Is this what I do?

The Posture That Receives

Up to this point, we have seen what resistance looks like. But the text also gives us a contrast.

In Matthew 13, the disciples ask, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (Matthew 13:10).

At first glance, it looks like a similar kind of question — perhaps as if they were getting into a stance for an argument.

But they are not trying to control the method of Jesus’ teaching. They are not seeking to redefine anything they have heard. And they are not asking for further clarification to delay a response.

They have placed themselves under the authority of Jesus. When they ask Him to explain, they assume He is right in what He teaches, even though they are confused. They come to Him not to evaluate His words, but to receive them.

That is the difference. The disciples are not neutral listeners. They are submitted learners.

Their desire to understand flows from their relationship to Jesus. They seek to understand because they are already willing to follow.

Understanding the words of Jesus is not simply a matter of intelligence or effort. It is a matter of posture — a posture of the heart. Those who approach Him with a willingness to yield ask for clarity because they intend to surrender.

The Question You Cannot Avoid

If the parables reveal the posture of the hearer, then they do not simply inform—they confront and demand a response.

The way we come to the words of Jesus matters before we ever interpret them.

When you read a parable of Jesus, it is easy to assume you are listening carefully, weighing the meaning, trying to understand. But something deeper is already at work. We either come to Jesus ready to yield, or we come looking to remain in control.

If we resist Him, we deflect when His words press too closely. We distort when His claims challenge what we want to believe. And we delay when obedience would cost us something.

But when we come to Him in surrender, we ask for clarity because we intend to follow Him.

So the next time you hear the words of Jesus, do not begin by asking what the story means. Ask whether you intend to respond with surrender.

You see, you won’t seek to truly understand the words of Jesus until you are willing to submit to the person of Jesus.