Purpose of Luke 8:1-15: To help us rightly approach God’s Word so that we can bear a rich crop. We are not focusing on the four categories as much as seeking to understand our own responses towards God’s Word and have a heart described to rightly receive God’s Word even as the good soil received the seed.
C) An Explanation of the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:9-15)
9 And His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable might be. 10 And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, in order that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND. 11 Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 “And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” (Luke 8:9-15 nasb)
Observation versus teaching (Luke 8:9-10)
Verses 4-8 were all about general revelation, but starting here, with Jesus’ teaching, we find special revelation and gain the meaning of things.
General revelation, that which we can observe in creation, as observed in verses 3-6, can astound us with great understanding through our reasoning and testing process.
Special revelation, however, that which comes through God’s Word, brings us to peek holes, so to speak, in the fence of the kingdom of God. We can peer through and understand otherwise unexplainable things.
Special opportunity (8:9-10)
“To you it has been granted.” Jesus allows many only to have the parable without the explanation. Their challenge becomes ours: How much do I desire to know the things of God? Will I hang around and see if I hear an explanation? Do I really care? Will I adjust my life and perspectives due to what I hear? There is another side to these truths: We become liable for what we know. If we know little, we will be judged a little. But if we know more, then we will be held to a higher scrutiny. God will ask, “What did you do with the truth of God that you heard? Did you obey?”
Let us go on now and apply the spiritual filter to what looks like a simple field that has been recently sown. It will become a special means of understanding so many wonderful things. Let us be like the disciples who wondered what they are to conclude from Jesus’ story picture. Jesus, without hesitation, identifies what each of the major items represent. There is one exception, Jesus skips over the identity of the sower. Perhaps it was something they and we could understand: Anyone who distributes the Word of God, or more simply as God who spoke His Word through Jesus and commanded His disciples to spread the Word.
Next => C) An Explanation of the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:9-15) continued
Luke 8:1-3 Intro | 8:4-8 Insights | 8:4-8 Gardening | 8:9-10 | 8:9-15 Explanation | Fatherlessness | Good crop
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