God does not call everyone who listens to the gospel of Jesus Christ to understand and accept it. Jesus explained to the disciples why he spoke in parables: "it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it is not given" (Matthew 13:11). "Them" referred to the scribes and Pharisees, the religious elite of the day. The elite leaders were thoroughly acquainted with the law of Mosses and the prophets, but they lacked "present truth." They did not recognize their long-awaited Messiah when he was in their midst.