1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he 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 see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And 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 testing fall away. 14 And 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 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one 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 because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus continued His mission of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God in all the cities (Luke 4:43) and the twelve disciples were with Him. There was also a group of women who followed Jesus in response to Him healing them. They included Mary Magdalene who had been healed from seven demons (probably a number indicating complete possession and healing) and Joanna who was the wife of Herod’s household manager, Chuza. There was also Susanna who was named personally even though she had no other “claim to fame”. Perhaps she was included because she had a significant impact in helping Jesus’ ministry. These and other women provided for Jesus and the twelve out of their own finances and abilities. This was not a usual practice in that day but these women, like the woman of the previous section, loved Jesus much because they had been forgiven much. They exhibit the right response we should all have to the gospel.
When a large crowd gathered including people from various towns, Jesus taught them in parables. He told them a parable about a farmer who sowed his seed. As he sowed, some of the seed fell on the path and was immediately eaten by the birds. Some fell amongst the rocks and though it sprouted, it quickly withered because it lacked moisture. Some fell amongst the thorns and thought it too sprouted, it was choked by the thorns that grow along with it. Finally, some fell on good soil and grew up to yield a hundredfold return. Jesus concluded that those who have ears to hear should hear. Those who were spiritually sensitive would understand the intended meaning but those who were not would only understand the surface story. The desired outcome was clearly to be the seed that produced a crop. In answer to His disciples, Jesus explained that He spoke in parables as a distinction between those who responded to the kingdom and those who didn’t and was a quotation from Isaiah 6:9. He then explained that the seed was the word of God and there were four types of responses from those who heard it. The first were those who heard but the devil snatched the word away before they could believe and be saved. This is the only group of whom it is said they did not believe and were not saved. The other three groups believed and were saved but had varying degrees of fruitfulness. The rocky soil was those who heard, believed, and received the word with joy but had no depth and so after believing a little while fell away. The thorny soil was those who believed but were too consumed by the cares and riches and pleasures of life that their fruit never matured. The good soil is the group who heard the word, believed and then held onto it and persevered in good works to produce fruit. What kind of soil is your heart?
The second parable is an extension of the first. To someone who receives the truth of the word of God, it is like a light and it makes no sense to hide it. Instead, we should share it and make Him known. The light will reveal everything that has been hidden including any attempts to conceal and reject the truth of who the Messiah is. The disciples, and we, are warned about how we respond to the truth. If we respond by embracing and sharing it, then we will grow in our knowledge and our ability to share. If we suppress the truth then what we have learned will be useless and ineffectual. How are you handling God’s truth? Is it a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105)? Are you using it to grow closer to God? Or is it completely ineffectual in your life?
Luke brings Mary back into the story along with Jesus’ half-brothers. They were unable to get to him because of the crowd so someone got the message to Jesus that they were waiting outside to see Him. Jesus used that opportunity to continue to teach. Those who obey God’s word which they have heard are the ones who share in an intimate familial relationship with Jesus.
All of these stories deal with how we hear and respond to God’s word. It’s no good to just read or hear God’s word. We must be changed. We must act on what we learn. A right response is to love much and persevere in good works in order to bear fruit. Are you a fruitful Christian?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Israel Divided: 1 Kings 11-12