Luke 8:1-21

Butler's Comments

SECTION 1

In Educating The Ego (Luke 8:1-21)

8 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

4 And when a great crowd came together and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold. As he said this, he called out, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10he said, To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. 13And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures, of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.

16 No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. 17For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. 18Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.

19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. 20And he was told, Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you. 21 But he said to them, My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.

Luke 8:1-3 Dogma: Jesus went about from one city and village to another (Gr. kata polin kai komen) making proclamation (Gr. kerusson) and delivering a message (euangelizomenos) or evangelizing. The message was: the kingdom of God has come! This is the essential dogma for the education of the human ego or soul. God is Sovereign! He has never and will never be dethroned. That is good news! G. Campbell Morgan suggests a slight change in translation of the Greek phrase, ten basileian tou Theou, to read the kingdom of God. There is no grammatical reason for objection to such a change. Actually, kingship is the primary meaning of the word basileian, (see Arndt & Gingrich, Greek lexicon, page 134). Territory is the secondary meaning of the word. The fact that God rules and He has made a way for rebellious man to be reconciled and receive citizenship in His kingdom, is what Jesus proclaimed. This is the Gospelthe good news. God is in chargehistory will ultimately be consummated under His sovereignty, and man has an opportunity to harmonize himself to that absolute dogma and become the recipient of its consequences. No human mind or heart has been educated until it has heard the Gospel and no human being can be a citizen of the kingdom of God without surrendering to the kingship of Christ.

In the ministry of the women to Jesus and the twelve we have an example of the kingship of Christ taking root in the human heart. These women lovingly expressed their citizenship by participating in heralding the good news through their financial support of Christ's evangelizing. The Greek imperfect verb diekonoun indicates they kept on deaconessing, or ministering (RSV providing) for Jesus and the twelve out of their own belongings. Supernaturally speaking, Jesus did not have to depend on anyone for physical subsistence. He could change water to wine and multiply bread and fish. He had the power to create or destroy. But if He is to capture the hearts of men and women for God He must, by humble grace, allow them to share in the work (kingdom) of God. G. Campbell Morgan writes, I always see here for myself the grace of Christ, that He was content to be supported in that way, while He carried on His work. It is more blessed to give than receive, and it takes more grace to receive than it does to give. He was content to live on charity, while He carried on His mighty ministry.

Mary is from the Hebrew name Miriam (which means, rebel) called Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast seven demons; Joanna (means, dove) the wife of Herod's steward (Gr. epitropos, one who looks after the king's financial affairs); and Susanna (means, lily), who had also been healed of some infirmity. Barclay notes the significance that in this group of women are united such diverse backgroundsMary, with the dark past and Joanna, a lady of the king's court in one company. He says, There is nothing which the Church needs more than to learn how to yoke in common harness the diverse temperaments and qualities of different people. If we are failing it is our own fault, for, in Christ, it can be doneit has been done.

It is also significant that the only mention of how Jesus was supported in His ministry tells of women leading out. Womanhood is glorified as it serves God:

a.

Jesus, the Messiah, was born of woman.

b.

Women supported His ministry. Luke 8:1-3.

c.

Women stayed with Him in His agony at the cross, John 19:25.

d.

Women were first to the tomb, Luke 23:55.

e.

Women were prominent in service in the early church, Acts 1:14; Acts 12:12; Acts 16:13-15.

f.

Many women served in the church at Rome, Romans 16:3-23.

g.

Women supported the apostle Paul's ministry, Philippians 4:3.

The glory of womanhood is in helping others serve Christ!

Luke 8:4-15 Dynamic: The dynamic, the germinating power in the education of the human ego is the Word of God. Jesus makes this dramatically clear in His parable of the sower. Actually, it is a parable of the soils. The word parable in Greek is parabole and literally means, that which is cast alongside, or something deliberately placed parallel. Someone has graphically described a parable as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The essential rule in interpreting parables is to find the one central truth which the parable intends to teach. Parables are mainly illustrative and many of the details in a parable are window dressing and have nothing to do with doctrine. Doctrine does not lean on parables; parables lean on doctrine. In other words, parables do not constitute or give rise to the formation of doctrinesthey simply explain and help apply doctrines already constituted.

At this very crucial point in Jesus-' public ministry, it is apparent that He begins to make much more use of parables. This may be due to a number of circumstances:

a.

There is a growing opposition from the religious and political authorities toward His teaching (cf. Matthew 12:22-45, etc.).

b.

His own family and twelve disciples are expressing anxieties about His welfare (cf. Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 8:19-21).

c.

Great multitudes are following Him but their minds are so enthralled with the materialistic aspects of the kingdom of God He is having difficulty penetrating that with any spiritual concepts (cf. Matthew 13:10-13; Matthew 13:34-35).

e.

His own select group of twelve disciples have also manifested a need to have some truths concerning the kingdom more graphically imprinted on their minds.

Parables are enigmatic enough and require just enough self-honesty and effort to know the truth that they will conceal the truth from those who would oppose the truth and only use it for violent purposes. Parables have a way of stripping the human mind bare of all bias and rationalization and laying it open to reality so that those who hate the truth have their opposition intensified. Jesus now tells a parable to explain this about parables:

a.

the way (Gr. hodos) is more than a path (Gr. tribos). Hodos is translated highway in Matthew 22:10; Luke 14:23 and means the hard, packed-down roadway. It is impenetrable. Some seed falls on such soil and because it cannot take root it never produces. It is vulnerable. Birds come and take the seed away.

b.

the rock (Gr. petran) is the ground which is underlaid with limestone. It is very shallow soil on top of hard rock which will not retain moisture. Seed sown on such soil may sprout but the young plant withers almost immediately.

c.

the thorns (Gr. akanthon) may be a generic term for the many thorns and thistles and prickly weeds which grow in Palestine. Seed falling in soil not thoroughly plowed and weeded will find thorns and thistles growing up with the young plants. The weeds are more prolific and hardier and will soon choke out the domestic plants. Soil must be constantly plowed and cultivated so the plants will grow.

d.

the good soil (Gr. agathev) is that which is prepared. It is broken up, plowed, fertile, retains moisture and is cleared of weeds and other hindrances.

Jesus concluded the parable with an admonition to hear. In the Hebrew language the word shema means hear and obey; to the Hebrew mind to hear was to obey. The same is true of the Greek word hupakouo obey which comes from the root akouw which means hear, hearken. The person who really hears the teaching of Jesus will obey it. Jesus came to accomplish man's salvation by His death and resurrection, but man must hear and obey to receive that salvation. When the Gospel is taught people are held responsible by God as to how they hear. Those who teach the gospel have responsibilities to be faithful in proclamation, but those who are taught also have awesome responsibilities in hearing and obeying!

The disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant. He replied it was to teach the truth that proclaiming the kingship of God would not be easy. In effect, Jesus is explaining why He has suddenly intensified His use of the parabolic method of preaching. The truth of God's sovereignty may be widely disseminated but it will have limited receptionnot because the truth has no germinating power nor because the proclaimer is inept but because the hearts of men refuse to receive it. This parable was to show the difference between His disciples who heard His proclamation that the kingdom of God had come and left all and followed Him and the self-righteous religious leaders and materialistic multitudes who heard but did not produce the fruit of repentance in their lives. Most of the time Jesus could speak plainly to His disciples and they understood. Of course, there were times when they did not understand because of their finite limitations, but they were good men and His teaching did not motivate them to want to kill Him as it did the rulers. The Greek word musteria (mysteries, KJV) is translated secrets in the RSV. The word in Biblical context means revelation. It is not mysterious in that it cannot be known but in the sense that it is unknown until it is revealed. What Jesus is actually saying is He could reveal the things concerning the kingdom of God plainly to His disciples most of the time without fear of being misunderstood and opposed but for the rest of the people then He must speak of the kingdom in parables. So Jesus explained the parable to His disciples:

a.

the seed is the word of God. The Greek is, ho logos tou theou. Jesus is the Logos in John 1:1-18 and Revelation 19:13. The word of Jesus is Life (cf. John 6:63). The gospel of Christ is the seed by which men are born again (1 Peter 1:22-24) and it must be obeyed to produce the new life. This is of primary importance. The dynamic for eternal life is not religious systems or human traditions but faith in a Person, Jesus Christ, which is expressed by obedience to His commandments.

b.

the wayside soil represents people with hardened hearts. The word of God cannot bear fruit there because they do not love the truth but take pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) and the devil is allowed to come and take the truth away and replace it with delusion and falsehood. This is the mind that has become calloused with continued rejection of truth (cf. Romans 1:18-32; Hebrews 3:7-13; 2 Peter 3:5; Proverbs 21:29; Proverbs 28:14, etc.). This represents the coldly indifferent, close-minded, arrogant, self-righteous person, obstinately impervious to the historical reality of scripture because of the moral implications for his life-style. The disciple of Jesus who goes proclaiming the kingship of God will find that the Word can be absolutely resisted, that there is a real devil who will take away any word of God when a person does not want it, and, all who sow the seed of the kingdom will meet with some hard hearts.

c.

the rocky of shallow soil represents those who respond quickly and emotionally to the Word, but superficially. This person never really thinks about the hard historical realities of discipleship, stewardship, persecution, and self-controlthey just feel. These have no endurance when the heat of worldly opposition comes to their life because they have not allowed the Word of God to have root in their character. Their relationship to the Word is emotional but not mental and practical. The disciple of Jesus who sows the seed of the Gospel must understand that if the Word is to produce any lasting fruit it must be sown in minds characterized by stability, reality, endurance and depth.

d.

the thorny soil represents those who want the best of both worlds at the same time. It is the heart with potential (for if it will grow thorns, it will grow wheat) but it allows the weeds of worldliness to grow alongside the wheat of the Word. The desires and cares of this world, if allowed to go unchecked, will choke out desires and cares for the next world. If Jesus ever emphasized anything it was that Christian discipleship is impossible with divided loyalties. We must set our minds on things above. not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2). The rich young ruler and Demas are examples of thorny soil.

e.

the good soil represents people with honest and good (Gr. kale, agathe) hearts. They are fair-minded, know what is right when it is proclaimed and practiced, and desire the truth even though it may involve suffering in the flesh. They hold on to all the truth they know and are loyal to it because they recognize its value. They have patience (Gr. hupomone, endurance). They are not fickle, but steadfast. They are not shallow but deep. The seed of the gospel sown in their hearts grows automatically (Gr. automate, Mark 4:28), or, of its own accord. No manipulation is necessary, it grows according to its own schedule.

Jesus revealed in this parable that the kingdom of God (God's rule in the hearts of men) is produced by the Word of God preached to men. Those who proclaim the Word must be warned that it will fall on four different types of hearts. The Word will produce the fruit of salvation in only one kind of heart, honest and good; in all others it will not produce. Thus, by implication, Jesus is also teaching that sowing requires caring, training, work, persuasiveness, honesty, humility, patience, and faith. The student should definitely study Matthew 13:1-53 and Mark 4:1-34 in conjunction with Luke 8:4-18. We also recommend the very fine comments of Harold Fowler in, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. III, pages 14-172, pub. College Press.

Luke 8:16-18 Development: If the sower sows and the seed has automatic life in itself, then the ultimate responsibility for producing fruit lies with the soil. Hearing is the ultimate responsibility! The disciples may have wondered about Jesus-' statement, but for others they (the revelations of the kingdom) are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Jesus-' answer to their perplexity: Lamps are made for lighting and light may be seen unless one is blind. Jesus is not going to refuse to reveal the kingdom to anyone. He will preach the kingdom to everyone He possibly can. He is not going to conceal the light of the gospelHe is going to let it shine. The light of truth, so far as it depends on Him and His disciples, will be made available to all who are willing to see it. But truth is perceived only to the degree of honesty, and desire which the mind has toward it. Truth will not be forced upon anyone. Jesus is using parabolic form to present truth simply because for those who refuse to let God tell them anything, the door to the kingdom of God must be closed. Take heed then how you hear (obey)! The truth about the kingdom has all been revealed in Jesus and the apostolic writings. Nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. God has no more revelation about the kingdom than what the New Testament reveals. The Light is there! It is up to man to see it! Those who put the most faith in Jesus-' words will understand them and profit from them most. Those who do not believe Jesus, even what little truth they have will soon become meaningless and lost. What a man does not use he will lose!

Luke 8:19-21 Disposition: Matthew and Mark (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35) place this incident in a different position in their accounts. Most commentators think the incident should chronologically come before the sermon in parables and that Luke has placed it according to literary usage. Whatever the case, it is a classic example of the Son of Man exercising authority in the realm of the human ego. It also exemplifies the very thing Jesus warned against in the parable of the soils (the thorny soil) that the word of the kingdom may be choked out by worldly-mindedness. Jesus-' mother and brothers may have been altogether sincere in trying to call Him, aside from the intensity of His present situation. Jesus had been so busy He had not even taken time to eat (cf. Mark 3:20); the Pharisees were openly intensifying their attacks upon Him (Matthew 12:24) and saying He was demon possessed; they probably thought Jesus was so carried away with His cause that He had become oblivious to the dangers all about Him and they must take things in hand and give corrective guidance. At first, Jesus-' answer seems flippant. But Jesus is not being frivolous toward family love at allHe is simply putting it in its proper place. Family relationships must come behind our spiritual relationship with the Heavenly Father. The true man of God is loyal to God and His work first. The old adage that blood is thicker than water (originally intended to advocate that family ties are stronger than the ties of baptism into the spiritual family of God) is wrong! The mother and brothers of Jesus needed to understand that they had no right to use their family relationship to hinder His spiritual mission. They were, in fact, dangerously close to becoming thorny soil by their worldly attitude toward His work. The ultimate criterion of our relationship to Jesus is not human family ties, or any other circumstance of human birth, but spiritual rebirth. As Jesus put it, our relationship to Him depends entirely upon whether we are doing the will of God or not. That is the kingdom disposition; Jesus wishes to exercise His authority through His word upon the human ego to produce that disposition.