QUOTE : Jesus is never afraid to put things in a challenging, parabolic way. He even seems to prefer this method (Matthew 13:3, 34). Jesus is not afraid of using a word or idea that’s likely to be misunderstood (I wish I had that courage!). He puts his truth out there; dealing with it is the listener’s problem (which is actually to respect the listener’s spiritual intelligence). Jesus is saying, in effect, “Struggle with what I’m saying!” In general, Jesus doesn’t spend a great deal of time qualifying his point and making sure everybody understands it clearly.