Luke 8:1

Luke 8:1

The Bible says in Luke 8:1-3, "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance." In these three verses we are shown the basic manner of life that Jesus had during the three years of His public work once He had called the twelve apostles. Jesus did a lot of traveling on foot. The purpose of His travels is made very clear. He traveled to large towns and to small villages in order to make known the truth. We are told that He went to both cities and villages in order to make clear that the desire of God is that everyone in the world hear the truth. "How shall they believe except they hear?"

When Jesus went to the towns and villages, it says that He spent His time at those places "preaching and showing the glad tidings." This phrase comes from two Greek words that mean "to preach" and "to evangelize." To say "to preach" is an emphasis on the fact that the message is made public. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." "No one lights a candle and puts it under a basket." To say "show the glad tidings" is an emphasis on the content of the message. The message of Christ is a positive message of good news to a lost and dying world. It’s a message of faith and hope and love. The kingdoms of this world are temporary, but the kingdom of God will last forever. The good message of the gospel offers you the opportunity to become a part of the kingdom of God through Christ. It’s a wonderful kingdom. There is no death there. There is no disease or sorrow or fear or failure. You can become forgiven of your sins, and you can become a citizen of the wonderful kingdom of God freely through faith in Christ.

When Jesus traveled to the cities and towns, He always went with the message of the kingdom of God. How did people respond to the message that Jesus brought? They responded two thousand years ago the same way that they respond today. Some believed and some did not believe. Some received the invitation to become a part of the kingdom of God and some did not. Why is that? Why did only some believe but others did not? The truth was preached, and the Word of God was offered from the best preacher ever to preach. No man ever spake as this man. But what happened? Why didn’t more people believe? In the parable of the sower Jesus explained exactly what happens when the truth is spoken in the world. He explained why some believed and why others did not. The Bible says in Luke 8:4, "And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spoke by a parable." As Jesus often did, He used a parable to present this great truth. Jesus took a common circumstance of the material world, and He used it to teach a great spiritual truth.

The Bible says in Luke 8:5-10, "A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit a hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that has ears to hear let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand."

Jesus said that when someone goes out and sows seed in the ground, that person is hoping to see the seeds grow into plants and the plants get bigger and stronger until they eventually bear fruit. But it doesn’t always work out that way. It certainly doesn’t work that way for every seed that is planted. Some seeds never make it. They never become the plant that they were meant to be, or that they could have become. Why not? What happens? Jesus pointed out that one of four things can happen when a seed is sown.

Birds might come and find the seed and eat it. Birds are very hungry, and they are very good at finding seeds before the seeds have a chance to grow. Of course, there must be good ground for a seed to grow properly. If there was a rock right under a small layer of dirt where the seed was planted, then the seed would never be able to grow a good enough root in order to become a mature plant. Another thing that can happen is that weeds might overpower a small plant so that it has no chance to get big enough to bear fruit. There is competition in this world. If weeds are permitted to grow close to where a seed has been planted, the seed can easily be choked out by the fast-growing weeds. The best thing that can happen to a seed is that the birds do not find it, and that the seed is planted on good soil where the roots can go as deep as they need to, and where the weeds are kept away. This seed will grow into a strong and healthy plant and will bear fruit.

What is the spiritual meaning behind these things that can happen to a seed? Evidently Jesus thought it was important that we understand the spiritual meaning because He gave us the spiritual meaning in Luke 8:11-15. Jesus said, "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then comes the devil and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

Jesus said that the birds that come and eat the seed before it can grow is symbolic of the fact that the devil will come to take the word of God out of someone’s heart before the word of God has a chance to start growing. That’s what happens when someone hears the gospel but never thinks about it or gives heed to it. There is a spiritual battle going on in the world between good and evil. When a human being is offered the gospel, that person will also be offered something else by the devil to keep them from thinking about the gospel. That’s one reason that before someone gets saved, God will spend time preparing them and allowing certain things to happen in their lives, so that when they do hear the gospel, they will want to receive it. One must desire the truth and seek it in order to find it. If a human being does not have enough desire to be saved, they won’t get saved when they hear the gospel because the evil one will take away the seed that was planted.

Remember that the total plan of God for you is not just so that you will believe and be saved. The total plan is for you to believe, to be saved, and then to grow strong so that you will bear fruit. This parable of the seed that is sown, not only explains why some people do not get saved, it also explains why some people who believe never bear fruit. Jesus that the seed that is planted on the rock is symbolic of those who believe for a time, but "in time of temptation fall away." The word that is translated temptation is the Greek word that could be translated trial or adversity. Jesus was saying that these people trust in God for a while, but eventually an adversity or a trial comes along that causes them to give up. There is a price to pay for going God’s way. "In the world you shall suffer tribulation." "They that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." How can someone believe for a while and then stop believing? To believe means to trust in, to depend upon, and to rely on. According to Jesus, some people start to trust in God, and then when difficulties arise because of it and when things don’t work out the way that they wish they would, they stop trusting and relying upon God. They become fooled into thinking that the hardships of the Christian life are too hard for them. They never get rooted and grounded in the faith. They are just like a seed that was planted in a place where a rock was underneath, and the roots never grew very strong. Because they never became rooted in the faith, they never grow spiritually and their life never bears fruit for God.

Concerning the seed that fell among thorns and never bore fruit, Jesus explained in Luke 8:14 that such individuals become choked with the "cares and riches and pleasures of this life." It’s a question of priority. You can fill your life with so many things to do that you never have time to even consider what God wants you to do. It takes some time to study God’s word. It takes some time to pray. It takes some time to go and listen to God’s word being taught. The "cares" of this life refer to the necessities of life and meeting those necessities. Everyone must eat, and clothe themselves, and find a place to live. It’s a part of life on this earth. It’s not wrong to do it, but if you do it to the point that you have no time for God, then you will never bear fruit. Your spiritual life will be choked out by your over-preoccupation with making a way in this world.

Some people can make a way for themselves in this world. They already have at their disposal an occupation and a career that permits them to live comfortably, but sometimes it’s not enough. For many people it’s never enough. If the pursuit of the cares and necessities doesn’t get some people, then perhaps going one step further will get them. The attraction of riches and the pursuit of wealth will conquer some people and keep them from pursuing God. Some people will chase gold all their life, only to find that they can take nothing with them, and only to leave as a legacy a life that proved once more the truth of the Bible when it said, "The love of money is the root of all evil." What a waste of their lives! Other people will realize that there is nothing more valuable than the word of God, and there is nothing more important than living by it.

Why don’t some people grow spiritually? Why does the spiritual vitality seem to be choked out of some people’s lives? Another reason, according to Jesus, is the pursuit of pleasure. There are so many entertainments and pleasures in the world, and many of them are not sinful of themselves. There are theme parks, there are sports activities, and there are vacation spots and exotic places that one might visit. There are also the vast number of entertainments provided by the professional entertainment industry of our day. If one had the resources, a person could spend his or her time pursuing the pleasures of life and never have time for God. If you are going to go God’s way, then you must give up something. Some people never give a priority to serving God because they have filled their lives with so many things to do that are fun. Of course, if they truly understood what they were losing, and if they understood the final result of what they were pursuing, they would know that it was not so much fun after all. They would see that all of that fun was destructive.

Some people hear the word and never bear fruit for the reasons that Jesus gave, but other people do bear fruit. What makes the difference? Notice what Jesus said in Luke 8:15 about those who bear fruit. First of all, He said that they are honest. It takes an honest person to serve God. It takes a person who is true to believe truth. How can you trust in God’s word, if your word means nothing? An honest person will admit that they have done things that they ought not to have done and that they therefore need the forgiveness that only Jesus can give. An honest person will admit that they need God and that they cannot live life without help from Him.

Jesus said that a person who bears fruit will have an honest heart, and He also said that they will have a good heart. Anyone who desires to do good will come to God. Anyone who does not have such a desire will stay away from God. That’s the psychology of salvation. "He that does evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be reproved." An evil person does not want to hear, "Thou shalt not..." But a good person will say, "Forgive me, Lord, and help me to do better next time."

There is a very close association between the word of God and those who bear fruit for God. Jesus said in Luke 8:14 that they hear "the word and keep it." You must hear the word in order to bear fruit. But it’s not enough to hear it only. You must also keep the word. You must put it into practice. Some people don’t hear the word enough. Other people hear it enough, but they do not put into practice what they hear.

God has a plan for your life. He wants you to believe and be saved through Christ, and He wants you to become rooted in His word so that your life will count for Him and so that you will bear fruit. Jesus told you what to watch out for, and He told you the importance of hearing and keeping His word in the parable of the sower.

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