Luke 8:4–21

WHILE A LARGE crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“‘though seeing, they may not see;

though hearing, they may not understand.’

11“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

16“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

19Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

21He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

Original Meaning

LUKE 8:4–9:17 CONSIDERS what faith looks like by calling on disciples to cling to the Word of God (8:4–21). The parable of the soils commends only the ground that holds to the Word with patience. Jesus goes on to declare his family to be those who obey God’s Word, a message he describes simply as light that will not be covered. A series of miracles follows in 8:22–56, which show Jesus’ power over nature, demons, disease, and death and serve as a comprehensive survey of his authority. Then in 9:1–17, Jesus begins to show his Twelve how they will share in his ministry through their mission and the feeding of the five thousand. Questions about Jesus surface as the disciples (8:25) and Herod (9:7–9) wrestle with who he is. This entire unit sets up a major turning point in the Gospel, Peter’s confession in 9:18–20.

As Jesus gathers disciples and gains opposition, the question about how people respond to his message surfaces. The parable of the soils (8:4–15) is the one kingdom parable Luke chooses to narrate at this point. Unlike Mark 4 and Matthew 13, where entire chapters are devoted to kingdom teaching via parables, Luke concentrates on the one theme of faith both here and in the two short passages that follow (8:16–21). There are many obstacles to faith, and yet responding with faith and obedience is crucial to responding to God. As the parable explains, just because Jesus is God’s chosen agent does not mean people respond to him automatically. Diversity of response exists, though not because of a variation in his teaching. It is all a matter of the soil, the heart of the hearer.

Jesus relates the parable to “a large crowd.” In Luke the mention of a large crowd often means that a warning about not getting carried away about the response follows (cf. 12:1–2). The parable of the soils is the story about much seed that gets sown, but only a small portion of which bears fruit. The imagery draws on standard Palestinian farming practices. Sowing took place from late October to early December. The sower carried a bag of grain, usually slung over his shoulder. He tossed the seed in rows. It is debated whether the seed was sown and then the land was plowed or vice versa, but it makes no difference to the parable.1

Jesus specifies four different types of soil on which the seed falls: the road, the rock, thorns and thistles, and good soil. The seed on the road not only has no chance to become embedded in the ground and draw nutrients from the soil, but it is also trampled upon. The rocky soil, at least in Palestine, is hard to spot, since in the hill country, much topsoil is set thinly over a limestone rock base. Weeds are also plentiful, with some able to grow up to six feet in height. The parable also speaks of a hundredfold yield, which is not bad in a culture that expected a seven to tenfold yield (although in Babylon claims of three hundredfold yields were made).2 All these natural factors of everyday farming add life to Jesus’ imagery. Anyone who worked in the field or walked by them would know the hazards of sowing seed.

Jesus tells the parable without explanation and then calls on his audience to hear what is said in it (v. 8b). Luke notes such calls to hear elsewhere (9:44; 14:35). The disciples then ask Jesus why he speaks in parables without comments. His answer reveals a twofold role. (1) The disciples have the benefit of parabolic instruction, because they are receiving the revelation of the mysteries of the kingdom. The concept of mystery (mysterion) is a key New Testament idea. In the Old Testament it described a revelation of God that becomes more clearly revealed. It can refer to new revelation or to clarifying something already revealed. For example, Daniel, by interpreting dreams and other signs, revealed divine mysteries. Thus the term mystery describes making a divine revelation clear. The disciples receive parables as a revelatory gift of God’s grace. (2) To outsiders, the presence of parables is a form of judgment, a revelation concealed that prevents understanding. Jesus cites Isaiah 6:9–10 here, in which the prophet spoke judgment on a people who showed signs of being obstinate.

The major topic of Jesus’ parables is the kingdom of God, another key New Testament concept. The kingdom refers to the manifestation of God’s promised rule. When John the Baptist announced that it had come near (Matt. 3:2; Mark 1:14–15), he was proclaiming the approach of the rule of God through the Messiah as promised in the Old Testament. In Jesus’ ministry, this era has arrived (Luke 4:16–30; 7:28; 11:19–20; 16:16; 17:20–21), though in the New Testament it arrives in phases. Jesus prepares for its coming through his ministry and by his work on the cross, which enables the new covenant promise of forgiveness of sins to be put into place and allows the disciples to begin preaching its offer to all (22:20; 24:43–47). The sign of the coming of the kingdom is the arrival of the Spirit (Luke 3:15–17; Acts 2:16–36). But there is more to the kingdom than spiritual blessing, for Jesus will someday exercise authority over the entire earth in the future manifestation of the kingdom (Acts 3:14–23). His preaching has to do with this promised kingdom program, since as Messiah he was and is the king of the kingdom. The parables deal with life in the kingdom both now and in the era to come.

Thus, Jesus explains to his disciples that the seed is the Word of God, that is, the revelatory message about the kingdom that goes out into the world as Jesus, the sower, tosses the seed. The focus of the parable is on the soils, not the seed, since the seed gets four different reactions. The seed on the road never has a chance, since Satan comes and picks up whatever has not already been trampled. In such cases, people have no chance to hear, believe, and be saved. The seed on the rock starts out well, as a type of short-lived faith that allows germination of the seed. Yet there is no deep root, and when pressures come, these people fall away. The seed among the thorns fights with other things in the ground for nutrients, and the thorns choke them. This describes life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, a life wherein spiritual issues are not a priority. The successful seed is that which finds good soil. This grain lands on a good and true heart, which hears the message, retains it, and has the patience to hold fast to it.

Fruit is never a matter of an overnight exercise. It takes nurturing. Thus, Jesus’ teaching does not look at the reaction to God’s Word in a single moment but over a period of time, which may be why the planting analogy is used. It takes time to bear fruit, just as it takes time for weeds to choke the seed or for the lack of root in a plant to become evident. Jesus’ point deals with how response to the Word is a product of a process. Only one soil meets the goal for which the seed was planted, the fourth soil.

This observation raises a question of interpretation that unfortunately often becomes the main focus of this parable: Which soil represents “saved” people? Clearly those represented by the first soil are not saved, while the fourth are clearly among the redeemed. The debate stems from the second and third soils, especially since Luke notes that those pictured by the second soil have faith, at least for a time. The difficulty comes in their being said to “fall away” (v. 13) and in the recognition that only one soil actually bears fruit. I contend that the parable is deliberately ambiguous here.

I must, however, make one additional observation. The situation of the second and third soils is seen as tragic, since the goal of sowing has not been reached. There is no comfort for those who are described as these soils. Rather, their situation is lamentable. This point is important, because one of the effects of stating confidently that the second and third soils are saved is that it offers comfort for those who fall into those descriptions. The parable in literary terms offers no such comfort. To “fall away” in the context of the parable is to fall away from God’s Word and to reach the point where faith is no longer present. Faith that appears a short time is not faith, since other New Testament texts suggests that genuine faith never lets go of Jesus (John 15:1–6; Col. 1:21–23; 2 John 9). Though the text’s portrait is not explicit on this question since it is treating another issue, the literary thrust of the image of the second soil questions its healthy status. The same can be said for the third, where faith is not mentioned.

Luke 8:16–18 calls people to respond to the light because of the dire consequences of not doing so. Jesus’ message is portrayed as light. He notes that one does not light a lamp to hide it, but to make its light available by placing it on a lampstand. The function of light is to make visible that which was previously hidden in darkness. So it will be with Jesus’ message. Everything that is hid will be made known, and all secrets will be brought to light. One must therefore listen with care, since we are all accountable. There is much at stake, for whoever has, in terms of responding to revelation, will get more. On the other hand, those who do not have because they refuse to respond will lose what they seemed to have, ending up with nothing.

Luke 8:19–21 also highlights the importance of responding to God’s Word. Jesus’ family wants to see him, but the crowds make it difficult for them to get to him. When Jesus is told they are seeking him, he replies with a proverbial-style remark that indicates where his family can be found. Jesus’ family consists of those who hear the Word of God and do it. This emphasis on hearing and doing is common (6:47–49; James 1:22–25). The remark reinforces both Luke 8:14–15 and the picture of his message as light in 8:16–18.

Bridging Contexts

THE WORD OF the kingdom is still preached today, and the continuum of reactions is still with us. Thus this parable still has much truth about the various factors that impact our response to God’s Word. The distractions of life still plague growth to fruitfulness, and persecution, though taking various forms, is still prevalent. Life still sends us trial in terms of testing circumstances, vocational demands, the need to support a family, the call to spend time with our children and to meet the other obligations of life, and the sometimes strain of staying healthy. Our society still tempts us in terms of our values and ethical judgments. Ephesians 5:15 calls us to watch carefully how we walk, for the days are full of evil. As we face the twenty-first century, it does not take much imagination for us to realize there are opportunities to sin at every step in life.

The sower today is no longer Jesus, at least not in the same sense as when he preached. Rather, now he works through representatives who preach the Word in his name. But Satan still hovers over the world, looking to snatch seed before it ever takes root. In other words, all the dimensions of this text still apply. Only the forms of the various factors that cause us to ignore his Word have changed.

When we approach this text, we tend to present it as a one-moment response: “As you hear this message today, which soil are you?” But the question is more comprehensive: “As you look at your spiritual walk up to today, which soil are you?” The parable looks at a career of response, as is clear when one considers that the good soil brings up various levels of fruit. The assessment is built on moments, to be sure, but it requires a life of response to consider what one’s soul looks like relative to a slowly developing crop. A plant does not sprout forth overnight, nor does the harvest of the heart.

The role of Satan in a text like this is hard for a modern audience. Since he is unseen, he tends to be forgotten. Yet it is clear that Scripture attributes the failure of the Word to penetrate some hearts as a part of his work. On the other hand, some are overly sensitive to the presence of Satan. It is true, of course, that some forces in our culture are diabolical. Is it any accident that some of our most violent and notorious rock groups court satanic symbolism? Might not some obsessions represent a grip on the soul that can only be reversed with an equally radical liberation through divine forces? God’s presence and power are able to overcome the forces of Satan. The prince of darkness is not so strong that Jesus cannot handle what the devil throws at us. But it is important to note that only one of the obstacles to successful response to God’s Word is Satan. Our response to the Word and the circumstances of life make up two of the soils. Ignoring Satan underestimates him, but giving him too much press exaggerates his power. We should be careful not to give Satan more credit than he deserves.

Personal trauma, the fear of rejection, or the influences of the pursuit of a life of comfort often play a dominating role in our lives. If most people were honestly asked to consider how much of their time and energy are spent coping with these issues, most of us would agree they consume the majority of our energies. Yet too often we accept their impact on us as an unavoidable given. It is easy to see why Jesus names the things he does that get in the way of our bearing fruit. Nonetheless, a life dominated by these concerns is not headed for spiritual fruitfulness. A little booklet entitled “The Tyranny of the Urgent” was popular when I was in college. It argued that often our lives are driven by that which throws itself into our lives and demands our attention and fixing. Meanwhile the nurture of the soul and the pursuit of long-range spiritual development and ministry gets second place. If we are not careful, those concerns are eliminated from the agenda altogether. Jesus’ warning in the parable is one we must still hear today. The only use of God’s Word that bears fruit is one that clings to it with patient steadfastness and a solid heart—a heart that says the most urgent task is to walk through life with all of its traumas clinging tightly to God’s hand and his Word.

Luke 8:16–18 deals with the fundamental need to respond to God’s teaching. To refuse the light is to end up in darkness. God holds us accountable for how we respond to his Word. So the warning Jesus makes here is serious, especially given the possibility of being left with nothing. Despite the tendency of our culture to treat all religious words as words from God, or at least words from man about God, a passage like this warns that distinctions should be made. Divine promise is fulfilled in Jesus alone. It is his message that is light. As arrogant as that sounds, it is reassuring to know that God has spoken clearly and authoritatively through Jesus. This claim needs to be taken seriously.

In 8:19–21 Jesus’ remarks underscore the permanent importance of responding to the Word concretely, not just with intellectual understanding. The Bible contends that those who want to walk with God need to have their thinking refashioned along biblical lines. We do not by instinct know how to respond to life (Eph. 4:17–24). Jesus graphically pushes the point here of the necessity of hearing and doing the Word. Those to whom he feels closest are those who do God’s will. The family of Jesus knows the importance of responding to God’s word as mediated by the one God sent.

Contemporary Significance

MANY THINGS CAN get in the way of responding to Jesus. Some people never seem interested—they are like the first soil. Or if they do show some interest in God’s Word, only the most bizarre elements speak to them. It is hard to reach people in whom the seed has never taken root.

Others are initially drawn to God’s Word, but as the difficulty of being a Christian in a world that often does not understand devotion to Christ becomes clear, their interest wanes and they drop out of sight. Identity with Christ never sinks in. These are like the second soil—people on the fringe of the church, who never seem to get with the program though they may have had some exposure to it. Some may have never been saved. They were initially attracted to the church, but their subsequent departure reflects where their heart was all along. It is tragic to be so close and yet so far. Only God knows the true heart condition of people who respond like this.

Still others flirt with a Christian walk, but life is either too tempting or too demanding for them to respond in a way that draws them to Jesus. The world we live in probably has more such distractions than it did during the days of Jesus. It is fair to say that most of us struggle not to let the affairs of life and the tyranny of the daily demands of life overwhelm us. The difference between soil three and soil four people seems to be the condition of the heart. A healthy heart clings to God’s Word; it beats fast for him and responds to him. A damaged heart has trouble seeing him over the distraction and attraction of other things. It does take constant listening and clinging to the Word to be fruitful. To respond to God is not a matter of spiritual cruise control, where things happen automatically in instinctive response to the things of God. It takes conscious effort to focus on God and his ways so that we become consistently fruitful.

Jesus wants his disciples to understand this truth. Fruitfulness takes patience, just as it does for a farmer who sows seed. When seed is sown, he does not know the quality or condition of the ground on which it falls. It is the same seed, but not the same soil. As we labor to sow the seed of the kingdom, we must remember that different responses are inevitable. We must also be clear to discuss the many pitfalls to fruitfulness. Whether riches, fame, success, desire to be accepted, the pursuit of pleasure or comfort, or fear of letting God have control, the road to fruitfulness is packed with black holes that can swallow up any progress toward spiritual vibrancy.3 As Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear let him hear.”

In Luke 8:16–18, Jesus’ teaching emphasizes paying serious attention to God’s teaching. In a contemporary context where worship has a prominent place and feelings are so important culturally, the tendency is not to take God’s message as seriously. Yet God holds us accountable for his Word, and it is crucial that teaching the Word and hearing it well be paramount. That same responsibility falls on unbelievers. It is easy as adults to think we are only accountable to ourselves, but Jesus warns that such a view is a major delusion. All of us are accountable to God, especially for how we respond to his revelation. He has put that revelation on a lampstand where it is visible. So we all need to pay attention to what his truth reveals about where we are and what we are doing. That often involves a call to change how we are responding to God and to look for fresh areas in our lives where God can work.

There is another implication from this section. If Jesus teaches light and we are his representatives today, then we are called both to teach and to reflect light (Jesus says as much to his disciples in Matt. 5:12–14). To be light means we must be filled with light (Luke 11:33–36). The parable of the soils tells us this happens through patient study and application of the seed of God’s Word. This is why teaching that challenges us to live differently and biblically is so essential. Some churches, in hopes of not offending its audience, have stopped discussing sin as a topic—an amazing situation in light of the fact that even secular magazines in our time are asking the question, “What Ever Happened to Sin?”4 If a pastor is not preaching biblically about what life looks like when one is pursuing righteousness, then we as church members are not being prepared to walk a life of light. To grow, our ways need exposure to the light, so we can better reflect who he wants us to be. True growth means transformation and change. Maturity dos not come by standing pat. Such transformation comes from careful study of God’s Word and through the thoughtful comments and criticisms of others. The goal of God’s shining light is to make us light, so we can shine for him.

The application of 8:19–21 is simple enough: Do not just listen to God’s Word or study it, but apply it. The walk of faith does not involve a knowledge of the intricacies of theological debate. It involves engaging life with an incarnation of the character of God as revealed in his teaching. God’s will for us is that we be so responsive to him that we reflect his character. This is being conformed to the image of Christ, which is the believer’s mission.

Also instructive is Jesus’ sense of priority in one’s commitment to follow God. That may mean the pain of separation from family. The hardest part about my ministry is the travel it calls for so often. It means weekends away from my wife and children, missing activities they wish I could attend. To hear the Word means to love my wife and to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, as well as to carry out my calling. Balancing the two is not always easy. Wisdom tells me that I should not make judgments in this area by myself, since I personally find it hard to assess from within. Thus, my spouse has a rather free hand to discuss this area with me. This tension between calling and family requires a constant assessment of what honors God most. It also means, at least ideally, that when I am available to my family, that I am truly available to them. I mention this because I believe most working people, male or female, struggle with such tensions. I use two tests as I face these difficult choices. (1) Is God leading me into this involvement? (2) Does my wife sense that this is God’s direction as well? Only as my wife and I work together to seek God’s will can God give us the strength to pursue the demands of his calling.