The Parable of the Sower – Part 3

“Introducing the ‘Hearing’ Verses”

During the first 2 parts of our series, I had 4 main thoughts that impacted my life:

1. The Parable of the Sower is NOT about evangelism.
2. The Seed is the Word of God.
3. The Sower is God, NOT us.
4. There are 4 types of soil: The Path, The Rocky, The Thorny
   & The Good.

At the end of Part 2 my challenge to the reader was simple…continue reading. It is my argument that Luke wanted the reader to read Luke 8:1-21 as one passage and NOT 3 separate passages. I believe that because most of us consistently stop reading with the Parable of the Sower at verse 15 and we treat them as separate passages, we have a very shallow view of Christ’s meaning for us in this parable.

Here’s the next passages that I want you to read in context with Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower.
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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."

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And so you might be saying,
“Anthony, what does that have to do with a Sower and seed?
How are lamps, jars, beds, mothers and brothers related to the Parable of the Sower?”
Or maybe you’re just falling asleep reading me ramble on and on and…?
Or maybe you know right where I’m heading with this!

If you are struggling to see a connection between these passages, fear not – as I never saw a connection before either. No pastor or teacher had ever mentioned a connection to me (at least not sufficiently for me to remember it!).

But Jesus’ words in verse 8 hung in the air around me as I read on past the parable of the sower –

“he who has ears to hear, let him hear”.

How does that fit into what he’s saying there? Why does Jesus say that to us at that part of the parable? Don’t people with ears generally hear?

But, then, as I read verse 18,

“Therefore, consider carefully how you listen”

a bell began to go off in my head.

AND, AGAIN, in verse 21, the alarm sounded,

“My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word…”

Hmmm…All these passages deal with hearing – how we listen, how we hear.

So, I began to consider how I was hearing these passages as I read them. Was there more to them than what I initially saw as I read them? And I began to read the Parable of the Sower in context with the passages around it.

Thoughts that impacted me:

5. The “Hearing” Verses Make 3 Passages One Story (vs 8, 18, 21)

In Part 4, we’ll review the passage from verse 16 through verse 21 to see what we learn about hearing and listening. Look for Part 4 to be posted on Monday, January 11.