Luke 8:4–15 Last
time we saw Dr. Luke telling us about the women who ministered to Jesus and
that He was teaching about the Kingdom of God in Luke 8:1-3. 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”[1]. 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; 40 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).
This was truly one busy day indeed!
Matthew (Matthew 13:1-23) and Mark (Mark 4:1-25)
also record for us the Parable of the Sower and it took place on the same day. If
you were to combine the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 13:1-53; Mark 4:1-34: and Luke 8:4-18),
we see that the Parable of the Sower is the first of ten parables given by
Jesus 2. The Parable of the Seed [Mark 4:26-29];
3. The Parable of the Tares [Matthew 13:24-30];
4. The Parable of the Mustard Seed [Matthew 13:31-32;
Mark 4:30-32];
5. The Parable of the Leaven [Matthew 13:33-35;
Mark 4:33-34];
6. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
[Matthew 13:44];
7. The Parable of the Pearl of Great
Price [Matthew
13:45-46]; 8. The Parable of
the Net [Matthew
13:47-50]; 9. The Parable of
the Householder [Matthew 13:51-53]); and 10. The Parable of the Lamp [Luke 8:16-18])
Dr. Luke only records two of the
parables given by Jesus, the other being the Parable of the Lamp (Luke 8:16-18).
01. The Parable (Luke 8:4-8)
The fame of Jesus continued to grow, and we see many people
coming from all over to hear Him speak. Both Matthew and Mark tell us that
Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee and that He “got
into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach”
(Matthew 13:1–2; cf. Mark 4:1–2) and this is when He began to teach
the crowd using parables.
The noun used here that is translated as “parable” is G3850 παραβολῆς (paraboles)
and is the genitive, singular, feminine version of παραβολή (parabŏlē par-ab-ol-ay´).
The Greek word (G3850) παραβολή
(parabŏlē par-ab-ol-ay´) comes from (G3846) παραβαλλω (paraballō) to throw alongside (From παρά [G3844], beside, and βάλλω [G906],
to throw[2]), to place alongside for measurement or
comparison like a yardstick. [3] A
parable is a form of teaching that Jesus often used in which one thing is
thrown beside another,[4] as a
physical illustration of a spiritual truth. By using parables, Jesus spoke about
a truth and gave a story to illustrate that truth. Usually, Jesus uses parables
to illustrate one main point and the details are secondary. For some of the
parables, Jesus does explain the secondary details, but when He doesn’t, we
need to be careful in interpreting those details. As a rule, when the Bible is
silent, we are to be silent. So if we don’t have any interpretation of the
details, whether from Jesus or the rest Scripture, we are to remain silent.
There have been many false teachings that come from false interpretations of
parables.
Luke
8:5 According to Jewish authorities
there was twofold sowing, as the seed was either cast by the hand or by means
of cattle. In the latter case, a sack with holes was filled with corn and laid
on the back of the animal, so that, as it moved onwards, the seed was thickly
scattered. Thus it might well be, that it would fall indiscriminately on beaten
roadway, on stony places but thinly covered with soil, or where the thorns had
not been cleared away, or undergrowth from the thorn-hedge crept into the
field, as well as on good ground.[5]
Whether
the sower was throwing the seed, or using the sack with holes in it, it was not
the intention of the sower to have the seed fall on the road so it could be “trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.”
Because
the seed was sown where people walk, the ground was beaten down, thus keeping
the seed from germinating.
Luke
8:6 Jesus tells us “Other seed fell on rocky soil”. In some places in
Israel, there is limestone bedrock lying right under the soil.[6] There
was enough soil for the seed to germinate in the moisture and warmth of the
soil, ideal conditions for a seed to grow. The verb, used here that is
translated as “withered away”
is G3583 ἐξηρανθη
(exēranthē) and is the aorist, passive, indicative, third person,
singular version of ξηραίνω (xērainō), which means to dry up[7] because the plants are without good roots.[8]
But because of the limestone bedrock, there wasn’t enough soil and moisture to
sustain a growing plant. The limestone bedrock caught the heat of the sun, which
caused all the moisture in the soil to evaporate and killing the plant.
Luke
8:7 There was some of the seed
that was sown amongst the thorns (not thorn bushes),[9]
where the preparation of the soil by the farmer had not been successful in
pulling all the roots of the weeds out. The weeds in Israel with thorns like
what is describe here can grow up to six feet in height and have a major root
system, thus, crowding out the good plants [10] by
essentially robbing the sun, air and moisture and choking out the plants that
were sown.
Luke
8:8 Matthew and Mark both record
that when the good seed was sown into the good soil, “they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:8;
cf. Matthew 13:8)
Only the seed that fell on the good soil grew and was abundantly fruitful. As
Jesus was speaking this parable, Dr. Luke records for us (cf. Matthew 13:9;
Mark 4:9)
that Jesus “would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 8:8) The verb, used here that is
translated as “would call out”
is G5455 ἐφωνει
(ephōnei) and is the imperfect, active, indicative, third person,
singular version of φωνέω (phōnĕō),
which means to call out in a loud voice[11], to call/cry out, speak loudly, say with
emphasis.[12] The
verb, used here that is translated as “let
him hear” is G191 ἀκουέτω (akouetō) and is the present, active,
imperative, third person, singular version of ἀκούω
(akŏuō), which should be translated as “had better listen!”[13]
So
the translation could be, “He who has ears to
hear, he better listen!” 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).[14]
02. The Disciples Question (Luke 8:9-10)
Luke
8:9 The verb, used here that is translated as “questioning” is G1905 Ἐπηρώτων (Epērōton) and is the imperfect,
active, indicative, third person, plural version of ἐπερωτάω
(ĕpĕrōtaō), which means that the disciples were eagerly and repeatedly asking Jesus questions.[15]
Luke
8:10 Before Jesus answered the apostles and told them the meaning of
the parable, He explained why He taught in parables to the people. He mentions
here in Luke 8:10 “to know the mysteries”, which in the Greek is γνῶναι
τὰ μυστήρια (gnōnai ta mustēria). The verb, used here that is translated as “to know” is G1097 γνῶναι (gnōnai) and is the
aorist, active, infinitive version of γινώσκω (ginōskō), which means to
know. The noun, used here that is translated as “mysteries” is G3466 μυστήρια (mustēria) in the
aorist, active, infinitive version of μυστήριον (mustēriŏn) which means the unmanifested or private counsel of God, (God’s) secret, the secret
thoughts, plans, and dispensations of God.[16] To us today, when we hear the word
“mystery”, we tend to think of something dark and insidious. Maybe even some
sort of conspiracy theory, or something to be afraid of or cautious about. The
noun (G3466) μυστήριον
(mustēriŏn) is derived from the Greek word μύω (muō) which means to shut the mouth, through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites.[17] The
mystery religions in the east had all of the same types of secrets and signs as
many of the secret societies today have, and only the initiated knew the
secrets and signs. The false
teachers today often use this word to describe the inner secrets of their false
religions.
Jesus is essentially saying here that His disciples have
been initiated into the secrets of the Kingdom of God. Paul freely talks about
this mystery now being revealed through Christ (Romans
16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7
and Colossians 2:2). The mystery that Paul refers to in
Colossians 2:2 is explained further in Ephesians 3:1-6.
So what is this mystery that was hidden in the Old Testament
but now revealed by the Holy Spirit through Paul? This mystery is that the
Gentiles, who once were excluded from the glory and riches of God’s grace, are
now no longer excluded! Paul tells the church at Philippi in Philippians 4:12. The phrase “I have learned the secret” in the Greek is
one Greek verb G3453 μεμύημαι (memyēmai) and is the perfect, passive,
indicative, first person, singular version of μυέω (muĕō), which means to initiate and it is from the noun
(G3466) μυστήριον
(mustēriŏn). So what Paul is saying is that he was initiated into the secrets
of the Kingdom of God through suffering!
When you
see the word “mystery” in the New Testament, it means that which was hidden in the past and is now revealed by the Holy
Spirit in the New Testament. With that background, let’s look again
at what Jesus says to His apostles: “To you it has
been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is
in parables” (Luke 8:10) Remember, before Jesus
told this Parable of the Sower, the Pharisees make the blasphemous accusation
that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of the
demons, Satan (Matthew
12:22-37; Mark 3:19-30). In light of that, Jesus is telling His apostles that the
parables He uses are open to them, but shut to the Pharisees with their
antagonistic hearts. Depending
on whether one is open to hearing what Jesus teaches will reveal whether His
words are revealed or concealed by His hearers. The unregenerate in heart cannot discern what
Jesus is teaching, because the “natural man does
not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him;
and he cannot understand them” (1
Corinthians 2:14) “because the mind
set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the
law of God, for it is not even able to do so,” (Romans 8:7).
In support of this, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9,
“so that seeing
they may not see, and hearing they
may not understand.” (Luke 8:10) By speaking in parables, Jesus was actually being very
gracious to His hearers. For if they rejected His claim as the Messiah, the Son
of God, then their judgment won’t be as bad if they had understood more (Matthew 11:20–22; Luke
10:13–15; 1 Timothy 4:2).
03. The Parable Explained (Luke 8:11-15)
Luke
8:11 “Now the parable is this:” Jesus
now begins to interpret his own parable. No greater commentary on the parables
of Jesus than the commentary given by Jesus Himself.
Jesus says, “the seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11) The
seed that is the Word of God is constantly sown. Paul writing to the church at
Corinth says that he “planted, Apollos watered,
but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but God who causes the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7) and “9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field,
God’s building. 10 According to
the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a
foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he
builds on it. 11 For no man can
lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 3:9–11) James talks about receiving the Word of God that
is implanted in our souls (James 1:21). Peter talks about being born again by the
imperishable seed, which is the Word of God (1
Peter 1:23–25).
Jesus describes the seed that
was sown on the road (Luke 8:12). In the synoptic Gospels, each of the three
Gospel writers refer to the devil with a different synonym: Matthew 13:19 “the evil one”; Mark 4:15 “Satan”; and of course here
in Luke 8:12 “the devil”. There is nothing wrong with this; for it proves
that the Gospel accounts were not written in collusion. When the Word of God is implanted in our souls
it (James 1:21) “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes” (Romans 1:16),
which the devil is strongly against and will do all that he can to keep the
Word of God from being heard. The seed is lying by the road, sitting on top of
the hearts, and the devil takes it away so that they will not be redeemed. In its place, the devil sends the false teachers
that continue to tread down the Word of God with the doctrines of men.
Luke
8:13 The noun used here that is translated as “temptation” is G3986 πειρασμοῦ (peirasmou) and is
the genitive, singular, masculine version of πειρασμός (pĕirasmŏs), which means a putting to proof [18], temptation from without or from within, that
can be an occasion of sin to a person.[19] So it
would seem to be that the seed that fell on rocky soil, started out well, but
because the Word of God was not implanted in their souls (James 1:21), they had no foundation in the
Scriptures and then when their faith was tested, their excitement wears off,
they start to give up. They begin to lose interest in going to church (Proverbs 18:1;
Hebrews
10:25) and in the Word of God. Converts swiftly made are quickly
lost.[20]
Luke
8:14 “choked” here in the Greek (G4846
συμπνίγω sumpnigō) means to strangle completely, to drown, or to
crowd.[21] Jesus
now talks about the seed that fell among the thorns, and He mentions that they
heard the Word of God, but later on the Word of God was choked out of them
because of the cares of this world.
Jesus tells us that it was “pleasures of this life” that choked out the Word
of God from these lives. The Greek noun used here that is translated
as “pleasures”
is (G2237) ἡδονῶν hedonon (hay-don-on´), the genitive, plural, feminine
version of ἡδονή hēdŏnē
(hay-don-ay´) from ἁνδάνω
handanō sensual delight, lust, pleasure.[22] This Greek word is where we get our
English words “Hedonist” and “hedonism”. According to The New International
Dictionary of New Testament Theology (TNIDNTT) the Greek word (G2237) ἡδονή hēdŏnē (hay-don-ay´) is found
only five times (Luke 8:14; Titus 3:3; James 4:1; James 4:3; 2 Peter 3:13) in the New
Testament and it is always given in a bad connotation. In all five times,
(G2237) ἡδονή hēdŏnē
(hay-don-ay´) is used of the
gratification of the natural desire or sinful desires.[23]
In Greek mythology, the Greek god Eros had a son named
Hedone. The words eros and hedone are similar in meaning, for Eros
was the god of erotic, selfish love. The ultimate Greek life was founded in the
pursuit of self-pleasure, and was regarded as the highest goal when achieved by
an individual. In this pursuit, it was socially acceptable to use various
things and people to achieve the fulfillment of self-pleasure. This thought was
carried over to their worship, because it was taught that all the sacrifices
that people brought to the gods was needed to strengthen the gods for the
betterment of man. Since the religious system encouraged this type of behavior,
sexual and animal sacrifices were not seen as optional, but necessary to
support the gods, and the personal pleasure involved was taught to improve the
sacrificial offerings. So what you had was the belief that the life of the god
was sustained by the sacrifices and worship of that god. For example, if you
were a fisherman, and needed more fish, you would sacrifice to the god of the
sea or of the fish so that you get better results. The early Christians refused
to participate in these sacrifices, which caused others to think and believe
that the Christians were the antagonistic reason as to why catastrophes were
happening.
Nowhere in Scripture do we see
the Greek word eros used to describe
God. In fact, the writers of the New Testament avoided the word eros completely! Instead they, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, chose a little used word for love, agape to describe the self-sacrificing
love of God. There are Christians today who like to use the terms eros and agape interchangeably. But they are basing that not off of what
Scripture declares about God’s love, but off of what the world states. Two of
the most prominent “Christian” authors who have used eros and/or hedone to
describe either God’s love towards us, or the type of love that we are to have
towards God, are C.S. Lewis and John Piper.
John Piper in his book Desiring
God, with the subtitle Meditations of
a Christian Hedonist says:
“Historically, ethicists have tended to
distinguish these two forms of love as agape and eros, or benevolence, and
complacency. But I think that both resolve into one kind of love at the root.
God’s agape does not ‘transcend’ his eros, but expresses it…It becomes evident
therefore that one should ask, “Does God seek His own happiness as a means to
the happiness of His people, or does He seek their happiness as a means to His own?” For there is no either-or. They are one. This is what
distinguishes a holy, divine eros from a fallen, human one: God’s eros longs
for and delights in the eternal and holy joy of His people.”
[24]
John Piper states that he got the term “Christian Hedonist”
from C.S. Lewis.
Before you make any accusation against me for being a hater
or just unloving towards John Piper or C.S. Lewis, my heart in this is found in
Proverbs 27:6. If the words that I
say wound you, please know that it is not my desire to be offensive, but to
point you to the Word of God and yes, that includes pointing out the errors of
men.
Regarding false teachers, the Bible instructs us to mark
them or bring to the attention of others (Romans 16:17-18), to call them out (Titus 1:10-16),
to name names (1
Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 2:16-18) to not allow them to teach
in the church and publicly rebuke them (Titus 1:10-16). The
Bible forbids Christians from listening to these false teachers (Titus 3:10-11) and instead we are to test or to scrutinize them
to see whether they are genuine or not, to see if they really are from God (1 John 4:1).
Nowhere in Scripture do we see that we are to use the
self-seeking, self-pleasing term of Hedonist
and Christianize it. Instead the Bible says the opposite in 1 John 4:7–10. Every time that the word “love”
is mentioned in 1 John 4:7–10, it is
the Greek word (G26) ἀγάπη agape, the self-sacrificing love that is perfectly displayed in
God sending His Son to die for us. Whereas Paul warns us in his second letter
to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1–5. Notice
again that in 2
Timothy 3:4 Paul mentions that these people are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” and that we are to “Avoid such men
as these”. That phrase “lovers of pleasure” in the Greek is an
adjective, and it combines the two Greek words, (G5384) φίλος (philŏs) and the
Greek word (G2237) ἡδονή
hēdŏnē (hay-don-ay´), thus resulting in “lovers of pleasure”. The fact that (G2237) ἡδονή hēdŏnē (hay-don-ay´) is only
used exclusively through the Bible as a term to describe the selfish, sinful
desires shows us that we should not use it to describe God’s love for us or how
we are to love or live for God, as John Piper does in his book, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. The New International
Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Where hedone reasserts its mastery, faith
dies, choked among the thorns.
Jesus then said in Luke 8:14, “and bring
no fruit to maturity” which is just two words in the Greek, οὐ
τελεσφοροῦσιν (ou telesphorousin). It is a compound verb (τελος [telos] φορεω [phoreō])
and it means to bring to completion. In
Greek literature, it was often used of fruits, animals, and pregnant women. This
is the only time in the New Testament that this word is used.[25] Jesus
does not say that they will not bear fruit, but that they will no bear fruit to
maturity, which is true of those who are seeking the pleasures of this life,
the hedonists, whether they claim to be Christian or not.
Luke 8:15 The
verb used here that is translated as “hold it fast”
is G2722 κατέχουσιν (katechousin) in the present, active, indicative,
third person, plural of κατέχω
(katĕchō) and it means to adhere firmly
to traditions, convictions, or beliefs, hold to, hold fast, to retain.[26] So
those who “hold fast” to the Word of God, are hearts with a depth of soil that “bear fruit with perseverance” or patiently, which
is the only way to bear fruit. Fruit is not borne overnight; it takes time to
come to full maturity.
These four conditions of the
soil are seen throughout churches all over the world. Isaiah says, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak
according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” (Isaiah 8:20) When a person chooses not pay
attention to the Word of God, it means that they are someone who has no
spiritual light (John 3:19–20).
[1] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 13:1). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[2] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 74). New York:
Charles Scribner’s Sons.
[3] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 13:3). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[4] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 74). New York:
Charles Scribner’s Sons.
[5] Edersheim,
Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the
Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Bk 3, Ch 23, p894.
[6] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:6). Biblical Studies Press.
[7] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:6). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[8] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 684). Chicago: University
of Chicago Press.
[9] Maclaren,
Alexander (2012-05-12). Expositions of Holy Scripture St. Luke (Kindle
Locations 2805-2808). . Kindle Edition.
[10] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:7). Biblical Studies Press.
[11] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:8). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[12] 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.
[13] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:8). Biblical Studies Press.
[14] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:8). Biblical Studies Press.
[15] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:9). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[16] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 662). Chicago: University
of Chicago Press.
[17] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew
Bible (Vol. 1, p. 49). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[18] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew
Bible (Vol. 1, p. 56). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[19] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p.
793). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[20] Maclaren,
Alexander (2012-05-12). Expositions of Holy Scripture St. Luke (Kindle
Locations 2797-2805). . Kindle Edition.
[21] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew
Bible (Vol. 1, p. 68). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[22] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew
Bible (Vol. 1, p. 35). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[23] Vine, W.E.; Merrill F. Unger (1996-08-28). Vine's
Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New
Testament
Words: With Topical Index (Kindle Locations 48348-48351). Thomas Nelson. Kindle
Edition.
[24] John
Piper, Desiring God, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Reference Edition (Multnomah
Books, Colorado Springs, 2011), p. 124.
[25] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:14). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[26] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 533). Chicago: University
of Chicago Press.
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