Mark 4:11

11 He said to them, “The secret of God's kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables.

Mark 4:11 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 4:11

And he said unto them
His disciples;

unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God;
or the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the secrets of the Gospel dispensation, the mysterious doctrines of grace; (See Gill on Matthew 13:11),

but unto them that are without;
"to strangers", as the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, who were not the disciples of Christ, nor admitted to any intimacy with him; who came only to amuse themselves with the sight of his person and miracles:

all [these] things are done in parables;
are wrapped up in dark sayings, and figurative expressions, the sound of which they heard, and might be pleased with the pretty similes made use of, but understood not the spiritual meaning of them.

Mark 4:11 In-Context

9 He said, "Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!"

10 When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables.

11 He said to them, “The secret of God's kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables.

12 This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.

13 "Don't you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?