Some parables are dark sayings, the sense of the Greek word paroimia, a presentation that deviates from the usual way of speaking. Today they might be called riddles, mysteries or enigmatic statements. John uses paroimia more often than Matthew, Mark or Luke, and never uses parabole. When Matthew 13:35 quotes Psalm 78:2, "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world," the parables are dark sayings. When the disciples asked why Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, He answered that it has been given to the disciples to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but not to others, who see without seeing and hear without understanding. Read with I Corinthians 2:7-14, this shows that God also uses parables to hide meaning from those He has not yet chosen to reveal Himself to. A parable can also be enigmatic when the hearer is unfamiliar with the area of life from which the illustration is drawn. Jesus often had to explain His parables to His disciples, because as babes in Christ they lacked enough background in God's revelation to grasp the spiritual application.