Luke 8:16–21 Last
time we saw in The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15), that while Jesus was
speaking the parable He would call out in a loud voice[i] with
emphasis[ii],
saying “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”
(Luke 8:8) and we learned that literally
Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, he
better listen!” [iii]
This
was a common expression used by Jesus to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 14:35).[iv]
Throughout the Bible, God tells His people that they better
listen to Him (Isaiah 44:1; Isaiah 55:3; cf. Psalm
81:11-13; Isaiah 48:16-18).
In
the Old Testament, the phrase “hear the
word of YHWH” is found thirty times, and once in the New Testament (Joshua 3:9;
1 Kings
22:19; 2 Kings 20:16; 2 Chronicles 18:18; Isaiah 1:10;
Isaiah 28:14;
Isaiah 39:5;
Isaiah 66:5;
Jeremiah 2:4;
Jeremiah 7:2;
Jeremiah
9:20; Jeremiah 19:3; Jeremiah 21:11; Jeremiah 22:2; Jeremiah 22:9;
Jeremiah
29:20; Jeremiah 31:10; Jeremiah 34:4; Jeremiah 44:24;
Jeremiah
44:26; Ezekiel 16:35; Ezekiel 20:47; Ezekiel 25:3;
Ezekiel 34:7;
Ezekiel 34:9;
Ezekiel 36:1;
Ezekiel 36:4;
Ezekiel 37:4;
Amos 7:16;
Amos 8:11;
Acts 13:44).
Solomon wrote to his son, telling him to “Make
your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for
understanding; If you seek her as silver And
search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of YHWH
And discover the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs
2:2–5) At the transfiguration of Jesus, God commanded Peter, John
and James to listen to His Son (Luke 9:35,
cf. Matthew 17:5-7;
Mark 9:7-8). Not only are we to listen to the Word of God,
but also we are to do the Word of God (James
1:19–25). Dr. Luke tells us that the Bereans “were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for
they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to
see whether these things were so.” (Acts
17:11)
As Jesus pointed out in The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15), the four soils represent
all who hear the Word of God (Luke
8:12-15). But what separates people is how they respond to the Truth of the
Word of God when they hear it. The kind of listeners that they are reveals
their spiritual condition. Those who receive the Word of God that is implanted
in their souls (James 1:21) are those
who have the good soil (Luke 8:15).
Those who have not received the Word of God implanted in their souls (James 1:21) are those who make a superficial
response to the Word of God, and it is to them that Jesus will one day say “I never knew you; depart
from Me, you who practice
lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:23; cf. Matthew 25:11-12). Jesus goes on to say that those who fail to act
on the message of the Word of God “and does not act
on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain
fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house;
and it fell—and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:26-27)
What we will be studying today is a continuation from the The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:14-15),
where we see Jesus emphasizing the importance of what His hearers do with His
teachings.
What we are going to study in Take
Care How You Listen is that those who truly listen to the Word of God
will 01. Preach The Gospel (Luke 8:16);
02. Live Without Hypocrisy (Luke 8:17);
03. Bear Fruit (Luke 8:18) and 04. Be Obedient (Luke 8:19-21), thus proving that we are in God’s
family.
01. Preach The Gospel (Luke 8:16)
This simple little parable is
also used by Jesus in Luke 11:33 and
Matthew 5:15. The lamps that were
used in Israel at this time typically were made of clay and in the form of a
small bowl or saucer with a spout and handle. These clay lamps were simple and
cheap, and typically olive oil was used to light the wick made from flax (Isaiah 42:3). The purpose of a lamp is to give
light, so to light a lamp and then put it under a cover is just ridiculous,
especially since doing so will extinguish the flame on the lamp. Instead, lamps
need to be put on a lampstand or on a shelf so that all those who come in may
use the light to see.
Luke 8:16 “so that those who come in may see the light.” The
Greek verb, used here that is translated as “see” is G991 βλέπωσιν (blĕpōsin) and is the
present, active, subjunctive, third person, plural version of βλέπω (blĕpō), which means to look at[v], to perceive with the eye, see[vi]. Basically
what that means is that whenever people come in contact with you, they should
see the light if you allow it to shine through you. The purpose of light is to
let one see something else, not the light. [vii] Too
many believers today want the attention for themselves and not on Jesus. Take a
walk through Christian book stores, or look at what people are reading, and
it’s mainly stuff on how to make your life better, appealing to the senses and “the pleasures of this life” (Luke 8.14) and not on Jesus.
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot
be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put
it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in
the house. “Let your light shine before men in
such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in
heaven.”
The parable of the lamp throws light on the parable of the
sower.[viii]
Jesus had lit a light within the apostles, and it was their responsibility to
spread the light to others, as it is ours since we are the spiritual
descendants of the apostles.
In Paul’s defense before Herod Agrippa (Acts 25:23-26:32), Paul told him
that Jesus had sent him to both the Jews and Gentiles “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to
light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in
Me.’” (Acts
26:18) Paul writing to the church at Colossae tells us that God “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred
us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” (Colossians
1:13). Peter describes Christians as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy
nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim
the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous
light;” (1 Peter 2:9).
Paul thanked the Christians in Rome “because
your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.” (Romans 1:8; cf. Romans
16:19) and to the church at Thessalonica he wrote “For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not
only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has
gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.” (1 Thessalonians 1:8) If you have no desire to
share with the lost about God’s redemptive work of salvation available to them,
then maybe you are not a genuine disciple.
Jesus tells us that those who
take care in listening to Him are those who 01. Preach The Gospel (Luke 8:16); and...
02. Live Without Hypocrisy (Luke 8:17)
Luke
8:17 “For nothing is hidden that will not become
evident,” These words of Jesus are a warning against hypocrisy, as
can also be seen in the parallel passage of Luke 12:1–3.
The word “hidden” in Luke 8:17
(and “covered” in Luke 12:2) in the Greek is an adjective, and it is the Greek word G2927
κρυπτὸν (krypton), the nominative, singular, neuter of κρυπτός (kruptŏs), which means a hidden thing, concealed, secret and it
is where we get our English word for “crypt”.
Jesus warned His apostles to not copy the Pharisees, “therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not
do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.” (Matthew
23:3)
Jesus warned His apostles not to
be like the false converts who call Jesus “Lord,
Lord,” but are not obedient to Him in Matthew 7:21–23 (cf. Luke 6:46). These words by Jesus in Matthew
7:21–23 were spoken immediately after Jesus warned about false prophets in Matthew
7:15–20. In Matthew 23:13–33, Jesus spoke directly to the scribes
and Pharisees, giving them eight woes. With all but one woe (Matthew 23:16),
Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees “hypocrites”.
Luke
8:17 “nor anything
secret that will not be known and come to light.” That phrase “will not be” in the Greek is ὃ οὐ μὴ,
which is a double negative. The construction οὐ μή followed by the aorist subjunctive is a
strong negation of a future situation, stronger than simply saying οὐ. The two negatives do not negate each
other; they strengthen the construction to say “No!” more emphatically (cf. Mark 9:1; John 10.27-28).[ix] The speaker uses the
subjunctive verb to suggest a future possibility, but in the same phrase he
emphatically denies (by means of the double negative οὐ μή) that such
could ever happen.[x]
The “hidden”
(G2927
κρυπτον) and the “secret”
(G614 ἀποκρυφον) are to be revealed
in due time.[xi]What
Jesus is saying here is His teaching reveals where people are at spiritually
just as light exposes all. All hypocrisy will eventually come to light.
Jesus tells us that those who
take care in listening to Him are those who 01. Preach The Gospel (Luke 8:16); to 02. Live Without Hypocrisy (Luke 8:17); and that whoever is a true disciple
of Jesus will…
03. Bear Fruit (Luke 8:18)
Luke
8:18 “So take care how you listen” is
a command from Jesus to pay close attention.
In the upper room, Jesus,
speaking the night before He was to be crucified, speaking to His apostles who
were gathered there for the Passover meal, “My
Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My
disciples.” (John 15:8) and “You
are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know
what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I
have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you
that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that
whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (John
15:14–16)
In the The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15), we saw that the good soil
describes the hearts that “are the ones who have
heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit
with perseverance.” (Luke 8:15; cf. Luke 8:8) Those who “hold fast” (Luke 8:15)
to the Word of God, are hearts that received the Word of God implanted
in their souls (James 1:21)
and they have a depth of soil that “bear(s) fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15) or
patiently, which is the only way to bear fruit.
Luke
8:18 “for whoever has, to him more shall be given” In the
Greek, “for whoever has” is ὃς ἂν
γὰρ ἔχῃ written in the present, active, subjunctive of the verb G2192 ἐχω echō which may mean keep on having or acquiring.[xii]
Jesus spoke about this as well in Luke
19:26; Matthew 13:12; Matthew 25:29; Mark 4:25; John
15:2. For those who listen to the Word of God and obey with genuine belief
(Luke 8:15), they will receive more
truth, and the assurance of their sins being forgiven and eternal life.
Luke
8:18 “and whoever does not have, even what he
thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” The phrase “even what he thinks he has” is important because
there are many false converts who think they have listened to the Word of God.
For those who do not listen to the Word of God and do not obey with genuine
belief (Luke 8:15), they will not
receive more truth and will lose what they thought they had, eternal life. This
is why it is important to make sure that our friends and loved ones are saved
and not give them the false assurance that they are, which is so often seen in
many of today’s churches.
Jesus tells us that those who
take care in listening to Him are those who 01. Preach The Gospel (Luke 8:16), to 02. Live Without Hypocrisy (Luke 8:17), that whoever is a true disciple of
Jesus will 03. Bear Fruit (Luke 8:18)
and they will...
04. Be Obedient (Luke 8:19-21)
If you remember from our last
study in the The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15), it was mentioned that the
other Gospels record for us what took place between Luke 8:3 and Luke 8:4, leading some to call it “the
Busy Day”[xiii].
Matthew (Matthew 12:22-37) and Mark
(Mark 3:19-30) both record for us
the Pharisees making the blasphemous accusation that Jesus was casting out
demons by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons, who is of course
Satan. On that same day, Matthew records for us the account of when the scribes
and Pharisees were asking Jesus for a sign (Matthew 12:38-45), to which Jesus replied, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet
no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was
three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the
Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew
12:39–40) It was on this same day that Mary and the brothers (and possibly
sisters) of Jesus wanted to come talk to Him (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark
3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21). It would
seem to reason that Dr. Luke placed this account here because it fits the theme
of this section, which is the essential action of correctly hearing the Word of
God.
Luke
8:19 Usually in the New
Testament, Mary and the brothers of Jesus are mentioned together (Matthew 13:55; John 2:12; Acts 1:14). Contrary to the
false teaching perpetrated by the Roman Catholic Church (Catechism of the
Catholic Church, paragraphs 496-511 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p2.htm),
Mary did not remain perpetually a
virgin.
In Luke
1:27 we read that Mary was “a virgin
engaged to a man whose name was Joseph”. The Greek noun used here that is
translated as “virgin” is (G3933) παρθένον
parthenon, the accusative, singular, feminine version of παρθένος parthenos which
means a maiden; by implication an
unmarried daughter, a virgin. This Greek word refers to a person who never had sexual relations
and it would never be used to describe a woman who was married. The
Greek word (G3933)
παρθένος parthenos was used
by the Greeks for the Parthenon, the Greek temple to the goddess Athena, which
the Greeks characterized as being a virgin. The belief that Mary was a
perpetual virgin is found nowhere in the New Testament.
In Matthew 1:18 (“before
they came together”), Matthew 1:25 (“but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to
a Son”), and Luke 2:7 (“she gave birth
to her firstborn son”) we read that the text implies that
they had normal marital relations after the birth of Jesus. The Bible tells us that Joseph and Mary
had other kids (Matthew
12:46-50; Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 3:21; Mark 3:31-35; Mark 6:2-3;
Luke 8:19-20;
John 2:12;
John 7:3;
John 7:5;
John 7:10;
Acts 1:14;
1
Corinthians 9:4-5; Galatians 1:19). Jesus had brothers and
sisters (Matthew
13:55-56) and the natural meaning is that they were younger children
of Joseph and Mary and not children of Joseph by a previous marriage,[xiv] as
is what the Roman Catholic Church commonly teaches.
If there were older brothers of Jesus, the oldest brother
would have been Joseph’s heir and thus the rightful King of Israel, not Jesus![xv]
Some have said that these were the cousins of Jesus and not His brothers. But
the Greek word used here for brothers (G80 ἀδελφός adĕlphŏs)
is never used in the New Testament to mean a “cousin”. If the New Testament
writers, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit meant to write “cousins”
here in Luke
8:19, than they would have used the Greek word that specifically
means “cousin” (G431 ἀνέψιος anĕpsiŏs) found in Colossians 4:10.
One more piece of evidence, in Psalm 69:8, which is a Messianic psalm, we
read the Messiah saying, “I have become
estranged from my brothers And an alien to my mother’s sons.” Here
we see further evidence that “brothers” cannot mean “cousins” or even “step
brothers”, because here in Psalm 69:8 the Messiah is stating that its His
mother’s sons that He will be estranged from.
John records for us the estrangement of Jesus and His
earthly brothers in John 7:3–10, telling us that His brothers didn’t
believe in Him as the Messiah. But they reasoned that if He was truly the
Messiah, then He should go to Jerusalem to show everyone that He is indeed the
Messiah, and by going to the much attended Feast of Tabernacles would be a
perfect place for Him to display His powers publicly. It wasn’t until His
resurrection that they started to believe that He was the Messiah (Acts 1:14).
Luke
8:20 “20 And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers
are standing outside, wishing to see You.””
The Gospel of Mark tells us the motivation of Mary and the brothers of
Jesus coming to Him (Mark 3:20–26) because they thought that He was
literally crazy! I’m sure that they meant well, wanting to try to protect Him,
so they sent a request to speak to Him through the crowd (Matthew 12:46-47). The fact that
Joseph doesn’t appear here or anywhere in the New Testament after going to the
Temple at the Feast of Passover when Jesus was twelve in Luke 2:41-50 seems to suggest that Joseph was dead by this time.
This theory is further supported when Jesus was on the cross and how He
assigned the apostle John to take care of Mary (John 19:27).
Luke
8:21 Jesus stated here that
being a true disciple of Jesus was not through physical relationships but only
through being obedient to the Word of God.
Mary confessed her own need for a Saviour (Luke 1:47)
after when Gabriel the angel told her that she was going to give birth to the
Messiah, the One who “will save His people from
their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
This is again another Biblical passage that is
a direct contradiction to the false teaching espoused by the Roman Catholic
Church stating that Mary was without sin, also known as the Immaculate
Conception of Mary. http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9ineff.htm; http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm
[i] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:8). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[ii] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 1071). Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
[iii] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:8). Biblical Studies Press.
[iv] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:8). Biblical Studies Press.
[v] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew
Bible (Vol. 1, p. 19). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[vi] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 179). Chicago: University
of Chicago Press.
[vii] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:16). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[viii] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:16). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[ix] Mounce,
William D. Basics of Biblical Greek
Grammar: Third Edition [Grand Rapids; Zondervan, 2009], Ch 31 p295
[x] Mounce,
William D. Basics of Biblical Greek
Grammar: Third Edition [Grand Rapids; Zondervan, 2009], Ch 31 p287
[xi] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mk 4:22). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[xii] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:18). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[xiii] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 13:1). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[xiv] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 1:25). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[xv]
Plummer, Alfred. A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke, The
International Critical Commentary. [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1902], p224.
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