21 Be Careful How You Listen (Luke 8:16–21)
“Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (8:16–21)
Listening is an important and often neglected skill. Good listeners are good friends and make for good company. They make good teachers and counselors. Poor listeners, on the other hand, want only to hear themselves talk, and even when they appear to be listening they often are only planning what they are going to say next. Solomon described poor listeners as those who bring folly and shame to themselves by giving an answer without fully listening to the question (Prov. 18:13).They cheat themselves out of the best in life’s relationships.
But while listening to other people has temporal value, listening to God has eternal significance. Christ’s warning in verse 18, “Take care how you listen,” is a constant theme in Scripture. The command, “Hear the word of the Lord” appears about thirty times in the Old Testament (e.g., 2 Kings 20:16; Ps. 50:7; Isa. 1:10; 28:14; 48:1; Jer. 2:4; Ezek 18:25). In such passages as Psalm 81:8; Isaiah 41:1; 44:1; 46:3, 12; 49:1, 51:1, 7; 55:2–3, and Jeremiah 11:4, 7; 17:20; 42:15 God exhorted His people to listen to Him. At the transfiguration God commanded, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” (Mark 9:7).The repeated phrase, “Today if you hear His voice” (Ps. 95:7; Heb. 3:7, 15;4:7) further emphasizes the importance of listening to God.
But all too often Israel failed to listen to God’s word. In Psalm 81:11–13 God lamented, “My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices. Oh that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!” Isaiah 30:9 described the children of Israel as “a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord,” while in Jeremiah 13:10 God indicted them as a “wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words.” “This has been your practice from your youth, “God said in Jeremiah 22:21, “that you have not obeyed My voice” (cf. 7:26; 11:10; 17:23; 35:17; 36:31; 40:3; Ps. 106:25; Isa. 28:12; 66:4). Not only rebellious Israel, but also all those who reject the truth are guilty of failing to listen to the Lord speaking in Scripture. As Jesus pointed out in the parable of the soils, the people represented by all four soils hear the word (Luke 8:12, 13, 14, 15); what differentiates people is how they react to the truth they hear.
The kind of listeners people are reveals their spiritual condition. Many make a superficial response to the Lord Jesus Christ, but He will one day say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23; 25:11–12). Jesus said that such are the ones who hear His words, but fail to act on them (Matt. 7:26). When the flood of divine judgment comes, their spiritual houses, lacking a solid spiritual foundation, will be swept away (v.27). On the other hand, those who hear Christ’s words and obey them are His true disciples (v. 24; cf. John 8:31–32, 47; 10:3–5, 16, 27; 1 Cor. 2:12–16).
Jesus challenged those who identified themselves as His disciples, who were gathered around Him to hear His explanation of the parable of the soils, to take care how they listen. He noted four ways in which true hearers listen to the word: evangelistically authentically, fruitfully, and obediently
A TRUE HEARER LISTENS EVANGELISTICALLY
“Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. (8:16)
This simple parable or story, also used by Jesus in Luke 11:33 and Matthew 5:15, is self-evident and easily understood. The purpose of a lamp is to give light, thus no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed. The terra cotta lamps used in Israel were shaped like a saucer, with a spout and a handle, and used oil and a wick to provide light. To light a lamp and then put it under a bed or container would be pointless, since doing so would extinguish the lamp. Instead, lamps needed to be placed on a lampstand or a wall shelf so that those who come in may see the light.
While light in Scripture is often a metaphor for holiness (Matt. 5:14–16; Rom. 13:12), for truth (Pss. 36:9; 119:105, 130; Prov. 6:23; Acts 26:23; Eph. 5:9; 1 Thess. 5:5), and also for spiritual life in Christ (John 1:4), the specific feature the Lord communicated through this analogy is that genuine disciples do not hide the truth of the gospel. Instead, they listen to the revelation of God’s Word and then proclaim it to others. Peter described Christians as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that [they] may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). In his defense before Herod Agrippa, Paul said that Jesus had sent him both to the Jews and to the 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 [Jesus Christ]” (Acts 26:18). Paul was thankful for the Roman Christians because their “faith [was] being proclaimed throughout the whole world” (Rom. 1:8; cf. 16:19). The apostle commended the Thessalonians because “the word of the Lord [had] sounded forth from [them], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place [their] faith toward God [had] gone forth” (1 Thess. 1:8). Jesus likened true hearers of the word to a brilliantly lit city on a hill whose light cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:14).True conversion results in a desire for telling the gospel story Genuine disciples respond to the truth evangelistically; that is, they not only take it in, but they also give it out. Lack of zeal for sharing the truth may reveal that God’s work of salvation has not been wrought in the heart.
Jesus may also have had another issue in mind when He gave this analogy. In Luke 8:10 He had told the disciples, “To you it has beengranted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.” As noted in the discussion of that verse in the previous chapter of this volume, that was an act of judgment on Jesus’ part. Those who rejected the truth would have it hidden from them. The disciples may have thought that they were to render the same judgments and decide for themselves who to present the truth to.
But it is not the believers’ place to make such a determination; only God knows a person’s true spiritual condition. Christians are responsible to obey the Great Commission and “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19; cf. Acts 1:8). And when they were ready Jesus would send the Twelve out to preach the gospel to all whom they encountered (Luke 9:1–6). What He had explained to them in secret, they were to proclaim publicly (cf. Matt. 10:27).
A TRUE HEARER LISTENS AUTHENTICALLY
For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (8:17)
Although commentators offer various interpretations of this statement, it seems reasonable to understand it as talking about authenticity; what a person is on the inside. Because nothing is hidden that will not become evident, or to put it another way there is nothing secret that will not be known and come to light, the true condition of the heart will eventually be revealed. Generally speaking, time and truth go hand in hand. Given enough time the truth comes out for men to see. It is, of course, never hidden from God.
That principle is repeated throughout Scripture. Jesus gave it again in Matthew 10:26. In the Old Testament David wrote that “the righteous God tries the hearts and minds” (Ps. 7:9). In Psalm 90:8 Moses said to God, “You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.” Solomon closed the book of Ecclesiastes with the sobering warning that “God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:14). In the New Testament Paul spoke of a “day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus” (Rom. 2:16), and noted that when “the Lord comes [He] will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts”(1 Cor. 4:5). In His message to the church at Thyatira Jesus said, “I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to yourdeeds” (Rev. 2:23; cf. Ps. 44:21; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; John 2:24–25; Acts 1:24; Heb. 4:13).
Jesus’ words evidently are a warning against hypocrisy, as an examination of the parallel statement in Luke 12:1–2 suggests. In verse 1 the Lord “began saying to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy’” He cautioned His hearers to avoid imitating the Pharisees, who “say things and do not do them” (Matt. 23:3); who “outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly … are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (v. 28). He exhorted them not to be like the false disciples who call Him “Lord, Lord,” but do not obey Him (Matt. 7:21–22; Luke 6:46); who build their spiritual houses on the sand (Matt. 7:26–27).
All such hypocrisy will eventually be unmasked, because “there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (12:2). Since that phrase in the context of chapter 12 clearly refers to exposing hypocrisy, it likely has that same meaning in the present passage. In light of the coming judgment, Jesus called for self-examination on the part of those who claim to be His disciples.
A TRUE HEARER LISTENS FRUITFULLY
So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” (8:18)
As noted above, Jesus’ exhortation to take care how you listen is the theme of this entire section. Specifically, He warned that people must be aware that the consequences are serious. Positively, whoever is a true disciple and has eternal life, to him more shall be given. The good soil is marked by varying levels of productivity, but it invariably produces the fruit of salvation; as Jesus told the apostles gathered in the upper room, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8; cf. v. 16). Constant production of fruit watered by the ceaselessly flowing stream of divine grace (John 1:16; cf. Eph. 1:3–8; 2:7–10; Phil. 1:11) marks true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But Christ’s promise of blessing for true disciples is balanced by His warning to false disciples that whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him. In the end, the false disciples lose everything. All of their self-righteous works that they had counted on to bring them salvation will turn out to be nothing but rubbish (Phil. 3:8), vain things that cannot save (Acts 14:15). Like the wicked, lazy, unfaithful slave in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30), they will be cast “into the outer darkness … [where] there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 30).
A TRUE HEARER LISTENS OBEDIENTLY
And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (8:19–21)
Both Matthew (12:46–50) and Mark (3:31–35) place this event involving Jesus’ mother and brothers earlier in His ministry, before the parable of the soils. Luke places it here because it fits the theme of this section of his gospel, the importance of properly hearing the word.
As they usually are in the New Testament, Jesus’ brothers are associated with His mother, Mary (Matt. 13:55; John 2:12; Acts 1:14). Contrary to the Roman Catholic dogma of Mary’s perpetual virginity, these are Jesus’ half-brothers, the biological children of Joseph and Mary. The belief that Mary remained a virgin after giving birth to Jesus is foreign to the New Testament and the apostolic era, first appearing in the apocryphal literature of the second century To avoid the obvious implication of the texts that speak of Jesus’ brothers (and sisters; Matt. 13:56), Catholics have argued that these were Joseph’s children from a prior marriage and hence Jesus’ step brothers. There is no evidence, however, of such a marriage. Further, if that were the case one of those older brothers would have been Joseph’s heir and hence the rightful king of Israel, not Jesus (Alfred Plummer, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke, The International Critical Commentary [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1922], 224). All historical evidence points to both Joseph and Mary being young teenagers when they married, making a previous marriage and family nonsense.
Others have argued that these were Jesus’ cousins, not His brothers. But adelphos (“brother”) is never used in the New Testament in the sense of “cousin!” In fact, the New Testament writers had a word available that specifically means “cousin” (anepsios), and when Paul referred to Barnabas’s cousin Mark he used that word (Col. 4:10). Further evidence that these were Jesus’ actual brothers comes from Psalm 69. In this messianic psalm Messiah says in verse 8, “I have become estranged from my brothers and an alien to my mother’s sons.” Here “brothers” cannot mean “cousins,” or “step brothers,” since the term refers to Messiah’s mother’s sons.
The clear implication of such passages as Matthew 1:18 (“before they came together”), 25 (“kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son”) and Luke 2:7 (“she gave birth to her firstborn son”) is that Mary and Joseph had normal sexual relations and produced children after Jesus’ birth.
Having arrived at the place where Jesus was teaching, Mary and His brothers were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. They had to “[send] word to Him and [call] Him” (Mark 3:31).Their request to speak with Jesus (Matt. 12:46) was passed through the crowd (v. 47) and it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” Mark 3:20–21 reveals that they were concerned about the massive crowds that followed Jesus everywhere, and fearful of the rising hostility of the Jewish religious leaders. Having erroneously concluded that Jesus had taken leave of His senses (Mark 3:21), Mary and His brothers had come to rescue Him. That Joseph does not appear here or anywhere in the New Testament after the incident in the temple (Luke 2:41–50) suggests that he was dead by this time. Jesus’ assigning Mary into the care of the apostle John at the cross (John 19:27) further confirms that Joseph was dead.
The Lord’s brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5) until after the resurrection (Acts 1:14), but Mary understood who He was from the beginning. She knew that He had come to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21), and acknowledged her own need for a Savior (Luke 1:47). She confessed that she was neither sinless nor coredemptrix with Jesus.
Jesus’ care for Mary and willingness to redeem His brothers indicates that He was not indifferent toward them. However His reply, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it,” seems at first glance to suggest otherwise. But that is not the case. Christ’s point is that relationships to Him are not defined in human terms by physical or family ties. While Jesus was not indifferent to His family, neither was He subservient to them. Those who have a relationship with Him are the ones who hear the word of God and do it. The Lord made that point again later in Luke’s gospel. Seeking to honor Mary “one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed’” (Luke 11:27). But human relationships are not the issue, as His reply “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (v. 28) indicates. Only those who are “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22), who hear His words and act on them (Matt. 7:24), who continue in His word (John 8:31), and who demonstrate their love for Him by obeying Him (John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10) have a spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The picture of such people given in this passage is clear. They are true hearers of the word, who listen to it evangelistically, authentically, fruitfully, and obediently. The challenge Jesus issued that day on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is the same one He makes to everyone: “Take care how you listen.”