Luke 8:4-9 - Hearing God's Word

We believe that when we get to Luke 8 that Jesus is about a year and a half into His three and a half years of earthly ministry. It appears that most of this ministry of teaching and preaching, healing and miracles, calling the twelve disciples took place near the city of Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. In the first three verses of chapter 8, Jesus is going to all the cities and villages of this region of Galilee and preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.   The disciples are with Him along with certain women who are ministering to Him and His disciples “from their substance”. In verse 4, we also learn that “a great multitude has gathered” around Him from every city. No doubt, many of these people came to see and hear Him out of curiosity. They had heard how He was raising dead people, feeding hungry people, giving sight to the blind, healing the sick and afflicted, casting out demons, and they wanted to see more miracles.   There were some that “gathered around Him” out of desperation and convenience. They were sick and needed to be healed or maybe they had a demon and needed it to be “cast out”. And as long as it was convenient for them, they followed Him. But then there were some that were hungry for their spiritual needs. They longed for the emptiness of their souls to be satisfied. They were convicted and convinced that Jesus was the Messiah and He was the only One Who had the answer and ability to meet their greatest need which was spiritual.   On this occasion Jesus begins His message by telling a parable. The first parable is the well-known one about the sower, the seed, and the soil. The same parable with variations occurs elsewhere. The version that Luke recorded here was given as the Lord was making His way toward Capernaum near the end of His tour. The use of parables marks a new phase in the Lord's teaching ministry. He increasingly resorted to parables as much to conceal truth as to reveal it.   Remember Jesus is training His disciples as much as He is ministering to the multitudes. The main thing that Jesus is teaching is that the only way to enter, to experience, and to enjoy the kingdom of God is by faith. Later we read in Hebrews 11:6, that “without faith it impossible to please God…”. Paul writes in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”.   What is interesting is that the word hear is used nine times in this section. It means much more than simply listening to words. "Hearing" means listening with spiritual understanding and receptivity. With this in mind, in verses 4-21, we will see and then understand the three admonitions Jesus gave His followers. In this first parable of the Sower, Jesus is teaching that we must hear and receive the Word of God.   In verses 16-18, we will learn that we must hear and share the Word of God with others. And then in verses 19-21 Jesus is emphasizing that most importantly we must hear the Word of God and obey it by doing what it teaches. Being a part of His spiritual family is much more important than any human relationship and is based on obedience to the Word of God. It is not enough to "hear" the Word of God; we must also "keep it" (Luke 8:15).   Today, are you listening, hearing, receiving and obeying His Word?   God bless!