<Luke 8:1-15>

In the beginning of this chapter, we get a look at the tireless work of Jesus as He went about the work that the Father had sent Him to do.

Luke 8:1-3 “Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God . And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.”

Preaching the Kingdom: Jesus is again making the circuit through the cities of Galilee and as He has done on many occasions to this point, He is preaching the Kingdom is at hand.

Luke 4:43 “but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

Although He, John the Baptist, and the disciples of Christ would all preach the kingdom is at hand (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7), He would begin to develop the understanding of many concerning the attributes of this kingdom and those who would make up its citizens, note:

Luke 13:18 “Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?”

Luke 13:20 “And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God ?”

Luke 17:20-21 “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!' or ‘See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Each of these passages would begin to develop a picture of the coming kingdom and its citizens. Although our text does not divulge the details of Jesus' preaching concerning the kingdom, we can likewise from these examples begin to learn the details of His message and as we move further into the lessons we will continue to see the picture develop. When we come to the end of the study, we will summarize all that we have learned concerning the kingdom of God . This way, when we begin our study of Acts and see the kingdom open, we will be able to both recognize and come to truly enjoy it for ourselves.

Mary called Magdalene: Magdala was on the south west coast of the Sea of Galilee and she was from this city. As mentioned in the text, the Lord cast out of her, seven demons (see also: Mark 16:9), from that point she became a disciple of Jesus.

She was one of the first to come to the tomb on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1).

Joanna: Virtually all we know about this woman is found in the text. It is possible that she was among the women mentioned in Luke 23:55-56 . She, like Mary had been healed of infirmities or evil spirits. She was married to Chuza who was the administrator or superintendent of Herod.

Susanna: Again, nothing apart from this text is known about her. She also had been healed and she along with the other women attended to the needs of the Lord from their supplies.

Luke 8:4-8 “And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Parable: Remember that the word parable means to cast beside; thus, it is a comparison of two things for the purpose of teaching.

Since the spiritual meaning of the parable will be explained in verses 11-15, let us take a look at the reality of the illustration Jesus is using for comparison.

First, the people of Palestine lived in communities and their farms were usually a distance from their homes. Thus the sower would have to go out to his field.

Third, in a large portion of the land, a thin layer of soil covered predominantly rocky land and was very difficult to deal with in hot and dry periods (with the exception of the extremely fertile Plain of Esdraelon).

Fourth, there were at least sixteen varieties of thorny plants in the various terrains. In the Plain of Gennesaret thistles grew so tall that a horse could not push through them.

Fifth, in virtually all the land of Palestine thirty-fold was considered a good crop. Only in the fertile Plain of Esdraelon did the farmers routinely produce crops of a hundred-fold (the best soil!).

Jesus used the entire range of soils and conditions found in the land to cast the parable out beside the spiritual message. Then for emphasis He said; “He who has an ears to hear, let him hear!” This is given with intent by the Lord to prevent the people from regarding the parable as merely a simple illustration of the land. It warns of a hidden meaning beneath the surface of the story and incited them to seek it. This is also a term used over and over in the words to the seven churches of Asia concerning what the Spirit says to the churches (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).

Luke 8:9-10 “Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”
10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that
‘ Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.'” ( Isaiah 6:9).

What Does This Parable Mean?: In Matthew's account the disciples ask why He taught in parables? In both accounts there is no doubt that they wanted to understand the parable. On the other hand parables were given to the rest because they truly didn't want to know or understand. In this the very nature of the parable just stated is seen.

There have been many who have taught that the parables of Jesus were given to make it easier to understand His teaching. Yet, in this explanation of the purpose of parables, Jesus Himself counters such a thought and specifies that to those who do not wish to see or understand, they are bewildered by the parables.

Jesus would quote from Isaiah 6 and in Matthew's account the entire set of instructions to Isaiah would be given (Matthew 13:14 -15). This is from Isaiah's account of his calling as a prophet of God. He was commanded:

Isaiah 6:9-10 “And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘ Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 “ Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

Isaiah was sent to an apathetic people who had grown superficial in the worship and service of God. Jesus using this passage describes that the people hearing this parable are in the same condition.

To You it Has Been Given: Jesus would acknowledge their desire to understand His parable. This would prompt the Lord to then explain the parable to them.

Luke 8:11-15 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 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. 13 But 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. 14 Now 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. 15 But 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.”

Since the explanation of the parable is very straight forward, let's recap the lesson:

“The Parable of the Sower Explained”

Wayside

Hard hearted, stuck in the routine of ritual with deadened sensibilities though perverse living and a constant march to the worlds beat.

Rocky

Shallow and an uncommitted nature that does not retain.

Thorny

Choked by serving another master. That master is the ruler of this world and all his enticements.

Good Soil

As with all the conditions thus far, a sower was needed and good seed. What separates this soil from the other is a noble or pure and honest heart. See:

Matthew 5:10