obscuring the truth

Matthew 13:10-17

The question being answered by this passage is pretty clear: why does Jesus speak to the people in parables? Jesus' answer, on the other hand, is a little less clear. Jesus is saying that the secrets of the kingdom of heaven are only given to certain people (in this case the disciples) and not to others (in this case the crowd in general and perhaps the Pharisees in particular). This fits very well with reformed theology. While this may not seem completely fair from a human perspective, Jesus goes on to make a statement that seems even less fair: those who have will be given more and those who do not have will lose even the little that they have.
Jesus appeals to two quotes to support his point. The one from Isaiah tempers a little bit what Jesus said about the secrets being given to some and not to other; the quote from Isaiah indicates that it is at least partly the fault of those who do not have that they do not have because they refuse to listen and to look.
This brings up the question: is Jesus deliberately obscuring the truth? An argument could be made that he is playing "hard to get" in that he wants people to put some effort into seeking the kingdom. So he is obscuring the truth to see which people are striving for understanding and which people are just giving up without trying at all. That makes sense to me in light of his teaching in his sermon on the mountain regarding seeking, knocking, asking. So, to answer the question that the disciples asked, Jesus speaks in parables to obscure the truth so that only those who are truly seeking the kingdom will find it.
Jesus ends this section by revealing to his disciples how blessed they are because his disciples are seeing and hearing what those throughout history has so desperately longed for and looked forward to. However, it is clear that his disciples do not really understand the parable either because he then goes on to explain it to them.
I am reminded this morning that I am blessed. The Holy Spirit has been given to me to reveal the truth of Christ to me. Through the Holy Spirit, the Word and the Church, I have insight into the truth of the kingdom. Yes, I still see through a fogged up window but it is becoming progressively clearer and I look forward to that day when I will know even as I am fully known. Until then, my responsibility is to check my ears, my eyes and my heart so that I am not just seing with out perceiving and hearing without understanding. I submit myself to the Truth that has already been revealed to me and long for more to become clear.