Luke Reading (#22)

Take a few minutes to catch up and pray that God would bless you through the reading of His word.

Read Luke 8:1-18

[8:1] 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.”

Observation

• Let’s start with the setting for our passage (v. 1-4):
  • Where did Jesus go?
  • What did he do as he went?
  • Who was with him?
• Now, for the parable about the sower and the soils:
  • Where did the first seeds land (v. 5)? What happened to it?
  • Where did the second group of seeds land (v. 6)? What happened to it?
  • Where did the third group of seeds land (v. 7)? What happened to it?
  • Where did the last group of seeds land (v. 8)? What happened to it?
• Look at verse 10:
  • To whom is Jesus speaking?
  • What had they been given that others had not?
  • Why did Jesus speak in parables to “others”?
• Looking at Jesus’ explanation of the parable:
  • What does the seed represent (v. 11)?
  • What spiritual reality is represented by the seed on the path (v. 12)?
  • What spiritual reality is represented by the seed on the rocks (v. 13)?
  • What spiritual reality is represented by the seed among the thorns (v. 14)?
  • What spiritual reality is represented by the seed on the good soil (v. 15)?
• Looking at the conclusion in v. 16-18:
• What do you do with a light (v. 16)? What do you never do with it?
• What does Jesus tell us about the things that are hidden (v. 17)?
• What does Jesus tell us to do as a result (v. 18)? What will happen to the one who “has”? What about the one who “has not”?

Interpretation

• Why might it be noteworthy that these women were following Jesus (v. 2-3)?
• In that parable, the seed is always the same. It is the condition of the soil that determines whether or not it grows to produce fruit. What does that tell us about why people respond to the gospel in the way that they do?
• Why would Jesus tell parables that people couldn’t understand (v. 10)? What purpose does that serve?
• What does the parable of the soils tell us about why some people seem to be enthusiastic Christians, but then walk away from the faith?
• Which of the four types of people represented by the four soils (v. 12-15) are “saved”? 
  • That is to say, which of the soils represents a genuine Christian?
  • What other Scriptures help you determine the answer to that question?
• How does v. 17 connect to the parable of the soils? What is the “hidden thing” that is revealed in the parable?
• How does the way that we hear (v. 18) matter? How does that touch on the point of the parable of the soils?

Application

• Look at the things that undo the second and third soils (v. 13-14). Which of those things are most likely to be a challenge for you? What can you do to guard your heart against them?
• How can you take care how you hear (v. 18)? What does that mean for you?

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