“For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”
For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The principle of spiritual economics: the one who has receives more; the one who lacks loses even what they have. The having is the receptivity and obedience that the disciples have demonstrated; the lacking is the closed heart that the crowd's general response represents. The principle is not arbitrary but logical: the open heart grows more open as the kingdom's secrets are revealed; the closed heart grows more closed.
Church Fathers on Matthew 13:12
The disciples understanding that the things which were spoken by the Lord to the people were obscure, desired to hint to Him that He should not speak in parables to them. 'And his disciples came to him, and said, Why speakest thou to them in parables?'
Wherein it is worthy admiration, that the disciples who desire to learn of Him, know when they ought to ask Him, for they do not this before the multitude. This Matthew declares, when he says, 'And they came to him;' and Mark more expressly says, that 'they came to him when he was alone.' [Mark 4:10]
We must enquire how they could come to Him at that time when Jesus was sitting in the ship; we may understand that they had at the first entered into the ship, and standing there, made this enquiry of Him.