Author: Bill Hall

Luke 8:13 “But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.”

   There are several key words here that are important to notice. Though Jesus does not mention if these are ‘saved’ individuals, He does call them believers. And, He says these believers ‘fall away’, or depart, from the faith. Due to the word choice here it is certain that if these persons are not saved, they would at least ‘seem’ saved for a time.
   These are what we would refer to as apostates. They look good, smell good, and may even seem to bear fruit. But, there is nothing genuine about them because they have no root. In other words, they never had been truly transformed into the New Creature. The old man Adam kept them the whole time. And, in the end, they show their true colors.
   Looking at this parable and its explanation is encouraging, but instructive. Though we see that good seed in good ground will succeed, we also learn that many never make it. In this wide world there are many who hear the truth, and either never believe, or believe only for a time, and not genuinely. Persons in the latter case may be the ‘seed on the rock’ for many years or even decades before they fall away. And, in some cases, due to the worldliness of the church at large, they are never revealed in their true nature, but exist as wolves among the sheep.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for telling the truth! Even though it is hard sometimes, it is so wonderful to have it. I’d rather live my life in Your light than the devil’s darkness. There is so much deceit in this world, and only in You can we find real answers. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:12 “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

   It is very important to take note of the words Jesus uses when He describes these groups. This group is not saved, and does not believe. In Matthew we are told this group does not understand what they have heard. It is the working of the devil in the world to immediately counteract the planting of the seed if at all possible. And in the case of these it is quite possible.
   This group is ‘the crowd’, the ones who have heard the truth proclaimed. They cannot say they were never exposed to the truth, but that is as far as it goes. They never had any comprehension of the message, but only received it, thought about it for a time, and after the working of the enemy, forgot about it. Sometimes these might think of it later, but almost never to any good result.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for Your blessings. May we be blessed no matter our circumstances because You are the best blessing we could have. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:11 “”Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”

   Ah a short verse, but so packed with meaning! The seed, it is the thing that makes all the difference in time and eternity for it tells of the Holy One and His Son, Jesus the Christ. For every member of the human race the message of God is of utmost importance. Nothing parallels it. It it is by itself enough of a purpose and reason that no other must be sought. How any one of us will react to the Word of God is what will decide everything for us.
   Very often we see those who would divide God and His Word. They recognize God, or even Jesus, but do not accept the Scripture. And they do not realize, or will not admit, that they simply set up a false God and false Christ by doing so. No, God sent His Word into this world to be the absolute standard. All humans are called upon to respond to what they have of the ‘seed’ that has been scattered.

   Heavenly Father, I often am awestruck by Your plan. The way You have chosen to order this world and make Your presence known is wonderful to me. You are truly wise and Your sagacity knows no limits. I spend my life not discovering the boundaries of Your wisdom, but comprehending more the limitless nature of it. You know everything. That is so easy to say, but it will take all of my life and effort to really understand it. I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:10 “And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that`Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.'”

   What was the dividing line here, and why was it there? The disciples were those who had already made known their interest in Christ. They had already taken steps of faith and shown that they were willing to chose Him over the things of this life. For the others, though they were curious, they fell under the reach of prophecy. Jesus was fulfilling prophecy by delivering His truth in parables. He knew it wasn’t the most direct method. But, it was a good method. It was perfect for the goal He had in mind. He delivered truth, but the closed mind would never grasp it. Those who were unwilling to make an extra effort to know Him would not know Him.

   Heavenly Father, give us truth! We realize and understand that the truth is what we need so dearly. And yet often we are so satisfied with much less. You are wise and You know our hearts. Help me dear Father to grasp Your truth with understanding. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:9 “Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

   Jesus is the greatest Teacher there is, and yet His own disciples who had spent so much time with Him didn’t understand? One of the reasons that Jesus taught the way He did was because He wasn’t just telling people something for today to tomorrow. He was telling them something to remember all of their lives. He expected them to have to think about it long and hard. And, in many cases, He knew they would never understand. Indeed, as He would explain, it was not intended that some of His hearers should.
   But for those that were intended to understand the parable was a memory device. It was an easy to remember story. Short, not very complicated, and interesting. It is the kind of thing that you can memorize in five minutes if you really give it some effort.
   A modern illustration would be a popular song. Lots of folks might get a tune in their head before they really even understand what the song is about. And it will stick with them. They may ‘get it’ at some point, or they may never get it. But the song is stuck in their head like a seed planted in the ground. And the parables of Christ were just the same. He could have hearers who may not understand much at all of what He was saying, but they could remember it well enough to tell their family and friends when they got home. It was portable pith, and others who received it from the ignorant might understand it themselves. And some who carried it around for many years might finally one day ‘see the light’ and begin to understand.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for these gems, the parables of Christ. They are meant to be hidden deep in our hearts that they might grow into great things that influence all that we do. You are wise beyond all that we could ever imagine! I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:8 “But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

   The seed does not fail if it falls in a good place. This is one of the points of this passage that is often missed. The seed is hardy and springs up easily and well, and goes on to good growth and fruitfulness. It is not a difficult crop to cultivate in good ground. And it bears a great yield, such that if planted in a good place, it will grow exponentially.
   Jesus says many times this same phrase about hearing. What point is He making? He is basically saying, ‘If you understand what I am saying, makes sure you listen good and take it seriously.’ In other words, He wanted those among His hearers who did indeed understand the message to learn it well and then disseminate it to others.
   This is important to be careful with. Jesus is not saying that there is a group of spiritual elites who alone can understand the truth and must be looked to by everyone else for spoon-feeding. All too often the church is a hospital where none of the patients ever leave. The idea is to get people on their feet so that they can teach others. So there will be those who understand while everyone else is still scratching their heads. But these select few are then to sacrifice their lives in service to the others, bringing them also to the place where they may be spiritually mature.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for understanding us so well! We do not have to live with a God that makes no sense. We do not have to serve a master that has no understanding of our condition. On the contrary, You know us in our every part. Nothing is hidden from You. Oh I am always astounded at Your wisdom in the way You handle us! Thank You for Who You are! I love You because You loved me, and I can’t imagine it any other way. I will praise You my God for Your loving kindness and for Your truth! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:7 “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.”

   This seed fell in ground that would allow for growth, but that was already quite occupied by other plants. The other plants growing there would not completely prevent new growth, but made it extremely hard.

   Heavenly Father, I must praise You always. We talk about rising above our circumstances, but that is a platitude to help ourselves feel better. Praising You in the midst of it is what we must do, and that does lead to elevation. But not of us by us but of us by You. I will praise You, and let You handle the rising. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:6 “Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.”

   To fall on rock does not mean that this seed fell up ‘a’ rock, but upon an area with a lot of rock in the ground. Very little moisture would be retained in the soil, and the seeds, though germinated, could not grow much. The root system too would be stopped by the rock.
   This describes those who receive the message, but never grow at all. The gospel doesn’t even take root. Temptation comes to all, and for these it takes little. Quickly they turn away. It may take months, but yet it will not take long.

   Heavenly Father, You alone are the King over all! You nurture Your people and You are the Savior of all humanity. Thank You for Your great wisdom, love and grace! I will always stand in awe at Your amazing wonders. You alone can do great and mighty things. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.”

   Jesus tells a parable about people who hear the Word of God, and how they respond. His hearers likely expected something quite different from Him. They had come to hear great things, and heard a story about the limited number of them who would actually hear the truth and take it to heart. They wanted a wonder, and instead received a warning.
   In this first verse of the parable Jesus describes seed that fell in the wrong place. This is when the Word of God is given to those who the bearer knows will not hear. The chance of taking root is non-existent. Thus, this group will hear, yes, but nothing at all will come of it. The enemy makes quick work of making sure this seed has no chance to get implanted.
   It will be helpful here to note that most of the activity of the devil is revealed in this parable. The vast majority of his time is spent preventing the implantation of the seed of the Word, or choking it in the lives of those who have received it. There is very little else for him to do. Humanity without the word will by their very nature fall for his most basic traps and are fairly simple to manage. It is those who have tasted of the heavenly gift that he must watch for. It gets very difficult to deal with saints that can each produce an exponential yield. Thus, he has to focus on the prevention of that at all costs.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us the truth. You don’t hide from us the way things really are. I am glad to know. May I always be a planter. The seed of the Word is our most precious commodity, and we must be faithful with it. You have given this task, thank You for it! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:4 “And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:”

   Can you imagine going to hear Jesus? Of course many who went to hear Him didn’t understand Who He was. But some did. Can you just think of how you would feel? Here you are about to have a front row seat to GOD speaking. Wow! A large and diverse crowd from all over the region had come. Surely He would have something very important, very significant, to say. And, indeed He did.
   He didn’t say what anyone would have expected though. He had a story to tell, about seed. Jesus often used very simple illustrations that had to do with the day to day life of His hearers. But, His messages, the point of His words, were anything but ordinary.
   And, He didn’t let His hearers off without some thought. He told parables so that only those who already were seeking the truth would understand. Don’t misunderstand the Lord. He had every intention for people to learn the truth. But, He understood what we so often fail to grasp. The message isn’t accepted all at once. The truth is something that sinks into us over time. Lies will tickle our fancy and grab our attention easily, but they don’t stand the test. They don’t endure. Truth will not fade, and it will not fail.
   Hearers of Christ that already tend to be suspicious of Him will find they cannot accept His teaching, and will only find confirmation of their opinion. Those who are confrontational, and come to hear only to find errors will indeed think they have found what they seek. But, those who are seeking the truth with an open heart, will also not be disappointed.

   Heavenly Father, the enemy is sly, but sick. He is slick, but sloppy. His lies are shiny, but they tarnish fast. In You I find what will never fade, never fail, and never disappoint. All my life I have wanted to be what You want me to be, and thought myself a failure at it. But I realize it is far better to attempt to be something in Christ and not do as well as you’d like than to do nothing for Him. I can see so much in my life that would never been there had I not tried to value You and Your will and word. I have not been or done what I would have thought, but I can look back and see all I have been or done was better by the attempt. You are the best goal for any life! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.