When his disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in parables, Jesus did not say that the parables made his teachings easier to understand. Instead, he indicated that many people would misunderstand his parables. He suggested that they were spoken in a code that would only be understood by believers. "To you has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given," he said (Matthew 13:11).What secrets are these? They...