A Lamp under a Bushel. Why Jesus Speaks in Parables

1. No one lights a lamp to put it under a bushel; rather, he puts it on a lamp stand  so that it can illuminate  all who are in the house. (Mt. 5:15)

2. There  is no one who, after having lit a lamp, covers it with a vase or puts it under a bed; he puts it on a lamp stand so  that those who enter can see  its light;  because there  is nothing  secret that may not be discovered,  nor anything hidden that may not be known and made public. (Lk. 8:16-17)

3. His  disciples approached him and asked, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them: “Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom  of heaven, but to them it has not been given. I speak to them in parables, because seeing, they do not see, and hearing, they neither hear nor understand. In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled when he said, “You will hear with your ears but you will not understand; you will look with your eyes but you will not see. Because the hearts of this people have been deadened,  their ears have become deaf and they have shut their  eyes tight  lest their  eyes see, their  ears hear, their hearts understand,  and being converted, I may heal them. (Mt. 13:10-15)

4. One may be surprised to hear Jesus say that a lamp should not be put under a bushel, when he himself continually hides the meaning of his words under veils of allegory that could not be understood by everyone. He explains himself to his disciples: I speak to them in parables because they are in no condition to understand certain things. They see, they hear, but they do not understand; thus, it would be pointless to tell them everything for now. But I do tell you because it has been given to you to understand these mysteries. Jesus acted toward the people as one does toward children, whose ideas are not yet developed. In this way he points out the true meaning of the maxim: “One must not put a lamp under a bushel but upon a stand so that all who enter may see.” This does not mean, however, that one should inappropriately reveal everything. Every teaching must be proportional to the intelligence of those to whom it is directed, since there are persons whom a radiant light would blind without enlightening.

The  same thing  happens  with  people in  general and individuals in  particular. Generations go  through  childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Each thing must come in its time, for the seed planted out of season will not grow. However, what prudence orders to be momentarily hidden must be discovered sooner or  later,  because, after  reaching a  certain  degree of development, people search for the living light by themselves; darkness weighs on them. Since God has given them intelligence in order to understand and to guide them in the things of heaven and earth, they want their faith to be rational, and it is at this point that the lamp should not be put under a bushel, for without the light of reason, faith grows weak.