Chapter 13 really should be read in the context of the unit of chapters 11-13. In chapter 11, Jesus has been theologically and scripturally wrestling with authorities and doubters (John’s followers and the Pharisees) and he is also talking about repentance and judgment. In chapter 12, he is out among the people again healing and showing “mercy.” But because this happens on the sabbath, he is being questioned by the Pharisees as to his disregard for the law and where his authority comes from (Beelzebul). Now in chapter 13, the next day, he has a crowd around him. We feel the tension of these parables quickly. After Jesus finishes the parable of the sower, we miss a crucial section where the disciples ask why he is speaking in parables (an indication of their own confusion). In Jesus’ explanation, he uses Isaiah 6:9. R. Alan Culpepper rightly asks, “The primary exegetical issue is whether Jesus speaks in parables so that the people will not understand, turn, and be forgiven (as in Mark), or so that the crowds will understand, repent, and be forgiven (Matt 13:34-35).”[1] This is the crucial question for this chapter on parables and the entirety of the rest of the Gospel. If it is the former, then this is a matter of the “elect.” God has already chosen who will hear and thus Jesus speaks in parables only to create greater confusion. But if it is the latter, then Jesus is using parables to open the minds of the crowds so that they will indeed repent and come to understand the kingdom of God.