Luke 8:1-18

Following His encounter with Simon and the woman (7:36-50), Jesus passed through many cities and villages “preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God” (8:1). Luke then provides a short list of women whose lives had been changed by Jesus and who also financially supported the ministry of Jesus and His disciples while they were traveling (8:2-3). These women were an important part of Jesus’ ministry, even though they did not travel with Him. Luke then writes that a large crowd gathered to see Jesus and He began speaking to them in a parable, which was an earthly illustration with a spiritual meaning. In this parable, known as the parable of the soils, Jesus tells a story of a sower who went out to sow seeds which fell on four different types of ground. Jesus explained the types of soil in this way, “…some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold” (8:4-8). The disciples then asked what this parable meant (8:9), so Jesus went on to explain the meaning to them. The seed being sown is the word of God (repentance and faith in Jesus) and when it is spoken to people, they respond to it in one of four ways. First, “those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (8:11). Secondly, “…the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” (8:13). Although this person hears and even receives the message, there has been only mental reception without heart reception. Next, there are “…the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (8:14). This type of person hears but does not demonstrate the genuineness of their faith through good works. Last, “…the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (8:15). Those associated with the wayside, rock, and thorns are not true followers of Jesus Christ; however, those who are good ground have committed their lives to Christ through repentance and faith and continue to demonstrate their faith through good works. The keys to genuine faith are hearing (understand as well as accept), keeping (continual obedience to God’s ways), and bearing fruit (doing good works). All those who profess Christ are not necessarily His followers, but only those who believe, obey, and do good.

Many in Jesus’ day thought that they were following God but, in reality, were not. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ requires more than just a mental belief in His existence. In order to emphasize this reality Jesus says, “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light” (8:16). If a person believes in God, his life should mimic His ways – his faith cannot be hidden. Furthermore, Jesus also says, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light” (8:17). Eventually, the true nature of people will be exposed. What a person believes in their heart will one day be revealed through their actions. So Jesus warns people to “take head how you hear” (8:18) because their response to what they have heard determines how much more truth God will reveal to them.

Dear God, may those who have heard also believe, obey, and do good.