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.

Luke 8:3 “and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.”

   Joanna apparently spent quit a bit of time with Christ, and was one of the women on hand at the tomb later. Being the wife of Herod’s steward likely meant she was fairly well off monetarily. Susanna we know nothing about, but she was much like either Joanna, or Mary Magdalene. In any case, all of these women, as well as the disciples, cared for Jesus. Jesus was not a rich man, and His daily needs were provided for by His friends.
   Jesus was a carpenter by trade, and He could work and make money. And presumably He did this for many years, even caring for His mother, and possibly His siblings for a time. We do not know exactly what happened to Joseph, but it seems he must have died, leaving Jesus as the caretaker of His family. So, likely anything Jesus had saved up before He began His itinerant ministry was set aside for His family upon His departure.
   Regardless of His economic state, it was appropriate for Him to be supported by others. I say this because those providing for Him were illustrating their faith. Many take offense at this, feeling that ministers are always after money. But, there will always be an obvious difference between ministers who have this motive, and those that do not. It is, sadly, all too easy to tell who is genuine, and who is greedy. The only follower of Christ in Scripture that we find questioning Jesus’ use of money was Judas, and he was a thief and a traitor.

Heavenly Father, I am glad that You ask for monetary involvement in the spreading of the gospel. In Your wisdom You know that we need something to keep us from living life only for our own comfort. Money is a great way to test our true desires. Thank You for Your great love! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:2 “and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities– Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,”

   Mary Magdalene is the first of several women mentioned here. We don’t know a lot about her, but the possession she was delivered from is notable. Unfortunately she is often misrepresented by those who try to guess the rest of her history. Some have even tried to see her as a romantic interest of Christ. However, Mary was a common name at the time and there were likely several women Jesus knew named Mary, including His mother.
   What we can learn is that Jesus was not against women. Many have tried to paint a picture of Christianity based solely upon human actions, not the true nature of the faith. The Bible does not have a negative view of women. On the contrary, the involvement of women in the Bible is quite noteworthy, and somewhat unique in ancient literature.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your truth available to everyone, regardless. You don’t discriminate by the color of our skin, our sex, or any other physical characteristic. You have made us different. But, You treat us all fairly. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:1 “Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,”

   Jesus here continues His ministry to the region of Galilee. Notice the message of His preaching. He was bringing good news. That is what the gospel is, good news. His disciples went with Him and learned as they went that the message of the kingdom was a glad message, a good message. Though the truth can lead to negative things, the truth is positive. It is a happy thing.

   Heavenly Father, I want to present to others Your message as it is. I long to be filled with Christ that my imperfection will not stand in the way of the truth. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:50 “Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

   These expressions of forgiveness and deliverance form Christ are among the most precious words of Scripture. All who have tasted of the heavenly gift can feel this verse is spoken to them. And the significance of it will stand the test of scrutiny. We may question every nuance for it is in these words that we find our only hope.
   Why did He say what He said? Why did He say it that way? How could He justify making such a statement? What does it fully signify? Indeed, limitless is the number of inquiries we might make, but our awe and wonder in no way diminishes as we think of them. On the contrary we find both strengthened. And why? Because we at once begin to see the answers ever so slightly and we are overwhelmed. It is quite a fact that faith will grow in the heart of the questioner who, truly seeking an honest answer, begins to see the answer and is immediately influenced by it. There are many who will ask questions, but often this is done with a pre-conceived notion, or a pre-accepted axiom. Honest inquiry reveals nothing less than the treasure of the ages.
   Why tell this woman, full of sin as she was, that she was ‘saved’? Why hold out such hope to her? Well, indeed, would there be any actual hope in speaking of Christ at all without it? If He came not to offer ‘salvation’, something altogether unique, then He had (and would even now have) less claim on the world than Caesar. Without a salvation to offer, Jesus is one of many other great persons of history which pass off the scene with sound and fury, signifying nothing. He could woo hearts, and bring them even to insanity, but to win them and bring them to transport He would have no power.
   And why her ‘faith’? Was it indeed not He Who saved her, and He Who saves all? Ah but faith is of God. Even that dear gift was grown out of the infertile ground of a creation that had shunned its Creator. By it Abram was made Abraham, and the rest is, as they say, history. It is by the production of faith inside of humanity that God has worked. To speak of faith saving rather than any other thing is to bring greater glory to the Christ, not less. For faith itself was grown in humans solely for the distinct purpose of spending it upon Jesus. Though it often finds so much else as its object, faith is in its very existence designed for salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ.
   Can we suppose that faith alone might save? But, really think, could anything more than faith be given credit? If you put anything with it you count out Christ, for now you must mix Him and some other word or work on the part of the delivered person. Yes works may provide irrefutable evidence of faith, as James so eloquently points out in his epistle. But, faith is itself intended to be the only means to the end of being perfected by the sacrifice of the Son. The Father has chosen it that we humans may not say ‘Aha!’ and claim to have saved ourselves. No, we must throw up our hands and say it is all of faith with the right object, the Precious Son.
   The significance of the first part is explained by the last. He says to the woman ‘go in peace’. Alas, has man ever had peace? Is peace a real thing? Can anyone claim to know or understand peace? Or do we know just a relative calm or lull in chaos that makes us say ‘peace, peace’ when indeed there is none? Peace with God, with the Father by way of the Son in faith, that is what is in view. Jesus could say to this woman what we long to say to everyone. We want to say, ‘It will be ok.’ But what we mean is that there is peace to be had. But Jesus could actually tell her this was possible. By Him we may actually experience what may genuinely be called peace!

   Heavenly Father, peace, that is the thing, peace! How can I ever get over it? To know peace with You, that is so wonderful! God grant us peace, and make us peacemakers! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 7:49 “And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

   Simon was very possibly not the only Pharisee present at the time. But even the common people among the Jews would likely be aware of the significance of the idea of forgiving sins. Nowadays we almost think nothing of it. But these folks understood that the forgiving of sins was something set aside for God alone. We generally think of sin as being something we commit against God and others. But, for the Jews, sin was very much between God and the individual alone. For ‘sins’ against others, things are perceived more on a shame system than as sin.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiveness and grace. Your mercy will keep me from hell, and by Your grace I can seek Your face each day and commune with You. It is wonderful! I am so full of joy for the salvation that is in Christ. You are my hope all the day. I can rest safely in You. My soul finds peace in Your Word and spending time with You. I will praise You, I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.