Matthew, chapter 13

2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. 3 And He spoke many things to them
in parables

He must really have had a loud voice ...

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted."

Uh, what's that supposed to mean? He talks to the ordinary people in code so that they can't know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven? Why would he do that and why would he talk to them then in the first place?

12 "For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

That doesn't sound too nice either, does it?

16 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear."

And yet the Apostles often seem slow and dim, and not be able to understand much of what Jesus is saying ...

19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart."

So the dumb will fall for the devil? But does anyone choose to be dumb and not to understand something? And weren't the poor in spirit blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven?

51 "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes." 52 And Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

Seems like the scribe who wrote this text had a good opinion of himself ...

55 "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"

So much for Jesus' being an only child.

57 And they took offense at Him But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Seems like the presence of skeptics has an influence of the miracle abilities ... just like today!