Mark 4:11

11 Jesus said, "You can know the secret about the kingdom of God. But to other people I tell everything by using stories

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 Then Jesus said, "You people who can hear me, listen!"

10 Later, when Jesus was alone, the twelve apostles and others around him asked him about the stories.

11 Jesus said, "You can know the secret about the kingdom of God. But to other people I tell everything by using stories

12 so that: 'They will look and look, but they will not learn. They will listen and listen, but they will not understand. If they did learn and understand, they would come back to me and be forgiven.'"

13 Then Jesus said to his followers, "Don't you understand this story? If you don't, how will you understand any story?