Matthew 13:12–13

In the gentle and eager to learn who already have knowledge, the divine light will settle even more richly than before. But in those who had a spark of intelligible light and turned it into senseless “knowledge,” even the small brightness they have will be quenched — which is what the Jews suffered by not believing in Christ. They had a small leading light from the law guiding them toward knowledge of God; but because they acted impiously toward Christ, they were deprived of that too.

The Lord makes clearer what he meant by “to the one who has it will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken,” by adding: “For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor understand.”

In teachable people well disposed to receive divine words, the Holy Spirit will settle, increasing the gifts in them. But in those who possessed a spark of light and neglected it, even the least they once had will wholly be quenched and taken from them. That is what the Jews suffered: they received light from the law and did not multiply it; and when the truth came, growing dull-eyed toward it, they were stripped of what they had possessed.