Jesus said in Matthew 13:11:

“Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”

Yes, you are given the ability to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is only for you!

First Step: Become a Disciple

Let’s derive the first step from this verse.

“Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”

Who is this “you”?

“You” refers to the disciples of Jesus Christ.

Who is a disciple of Jesus Christ? One who has decided to follow Jesus Christ.

The first step to knowing the secrets of the Kingdom of God is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)

How to be born again?

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

When you believe in Jesus and accept Jesus as your personal Savior, you are born again as a child of God. Have you given your life to Jesus? Let’s do it now. Say, “Lord Jesus, I believe you came into this world to die for my sins. I repent of my sins. Please forgive me and make me your child. I entrust my life to you. I receive you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.” If you have believed and prayed this sincerely, you are now a child of God. Welcome to the family of God.

Now you can know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven.

A child is also a king

In other words, you have to be born as a child to this King in order to become a citizen of this kingdom of God. Then you will be one of the many kings of the Kingdom of God. That’s why Jesus is called the King of kings. Capital K is for God, and small k is for us, who are born as kings. Amazing, right?

So the first step to knowing the secrets is to become a child of God.

Before proceeding further, let’s have a quick understanding of how important the Kingdom of Heaven and its message is.

What is this Kingdom?

According to Paul, the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

Therefore, it is a present reality and a future hope. Right now, as we live in this world, we can start enjoying the Kingdom of God and then enter into future glorious heaven when Jesus Christ returns.

Who started preaching the message about the Kingdom of Heaven?

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom ruled by the King of kings, Jesus Christ. John the Baptist came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:1-2) After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee and started preaching, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Then Jesus told his disciples to preach the same message: “and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” (Luke 9:2). After Jesus resurrected back to life, he continued for 40 days on this earth talking about the Kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3). After Jesus resurrected, the disciples started proclaiming the Kingdom of God (Acts 19:8, Acts 8:12, Acts 20:25). Our mission is to preach this gospel all around the world. Then the end will come once this message is spread all around the world: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Second Step: Learn as a Disciple

There are many secrets in this kingdom. Only a child of God can understand these secrets. But you have to learn from Jesus on a day-to-day basis.

Jesus was on the beach preaching about the kingdom of God through parables, and the people stood on the seashore.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying… (Matthew 13:1-3)

Have you noticed the words ‘sat’ and ‘stood’?

The Greek word used for “stood” in Matthew 13:2 is ἵστημι (histēmi).

Jesus sitting in a boat while teaching to crowds standing on the shore is a traditional Jewish rabbinic teaching style. In Jewish tradition, it was common for the rabbi or teacher to sit while teaching, and the students or audience would stand. This posture symbolized respect for the authority and wisdom of the teacher. This setting reinforces Jesus’ role as an authoritative teacher, and the crowds standing on the shore to listen to Him highlights their eagerness to hear His teachings.

So the second step is to be a true disciple of Jesus by learning from Him.

How often do we sit at his feet? It is as simple as spending some time alone with Jesus, praying, reading the Bible, and having a willing heart to learn. Take notes as He teaches you gently.

Third Step: Ask Questions as a Disciple

Let’s go to the next step.

When He finished preaching, Jesus and the disciples came back to the house, and they asked Him privately what it meant.

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” (Matthew 13:36)

The students asked the Guru: “Please explain to us.”

Mysteries remain hidden until they are explained. Want to know more? The only way is to be curious and ask the Lord. He will then explain one by one.

When Jesus was asked to explain, He started unlocking the secrets of the parable to them in the following verses.

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13:37-43)

The same principle works today.

You have Jesus with you. All you need to do is ask and learn from Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the teacher. He is ready to teach. We have to become students of this Guru.

Also note these verses:

Matthew 13:10-11 (NIV)

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”

Matthew 13:18 (NIV)

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:…”

The explanation of the Parable of the Sower, as recorded in Matthew 13:18-23, was given specifically to Jesus’ disciples. After telling the parable to the crowds, the disciples approached Jesus to ask why He spoke to the people in parables. Jesus then explained the purpose of the parables and proceeded to give a detailed explanation of the Parable of the Sower to His disciples alone.

Do you have a notebook and a pen to write down what He teaches? This is a simple and practical way to learn from Jesus. Open a blank page and scribble down as you pray and read the Bible. You will slowly start to see amazing secrets that were hidden before.

Fourth Step: Answer questions as a Disciple

Once Jesus finished explaining, He asked them a question!

“Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:51)

Jesus is very concerned about our understanding. Sitting and listening is not enough. We need to understand.

When Jesus explained the parable of the sower, He spoke about the need for understanding. If they don’t understand, surely the evil one will come and snatch it away.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.” (Matthew 13:18-19)

It is very important to understand as you learn.

Listening to a sermon is good, reading the Bible is good, but if you don’t understand, it is not going to help you.

You can ask Jesus to open your understanding.

“Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45, NIV)

When you understand, that’s when you start to grow in Christ.

Are you ready to take these 4 steps? Then you will start to learn the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, which are still unknown to the people around you who don’t believe in Jesus.

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