Then
his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?” He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of God’s Kingdom, but to the rest in parables; that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
Luke 8:9-14
Luke 8 [1.] Soon afterwards, he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of God’s Kingdom. With him were the twelve, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions. When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable. “The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and produced one hundred times as much fruit.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Luke 8 [9.] Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”
Luke 8 [10.] He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of God’s Kingdom, but to the rest in parables; that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produces fruit with patience.
Luke 8 [16.] “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light. For nothing is hidden, that will not be revealed; nor anything secret, that will not be known and come to light. Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has.”
Meaning:
Jesus had just told the parable of the farmer whose seed fell on four kinds of ground (Luke 8:4-8). The disciples did not understand it, so they asked him privately what it meant. Jesus explains why he teaches in parables, then interprets the three soils that fail to produce a harvest. His explanation of the good soil follows in Luke 8:15.
- “What does this parable mean?”
The disciples’ question is itself a model of good soil: they did not walk away puzzled but came to Jesus and asked. Mark records that they asked “when he was alone” (Mark 4:10-11).
- “To you it is given to know the mysteries of God’s Kingdom”
In the Bible a “mystery” is not a puzzle but a truth that people could not discover by themselves, which God now reveals. Understanding is a gift: “it is given.” Jesus quotes Isaiah, who was sent to a people who would hear “indeed, but don’t understand” and see “indeed, but don’t perceive” (Isaiah 6:9-10). The parables reveal hardness of heart: those who refuse to listen hear only a story about seed, while those who ask receive more light.
- “The seed is the word of God”
This sentence is the key to the whole parable. The seed is God’s message, the good news Jesus was preaching from town to town, and it has life in it. Peter writes that believers are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever” (1 Peter 1:23).
- “Then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart”
The seed on the path never gets below the surface. Luke alone adds the devil’s purpose: “that they may not believe and be saved.” There is a real enemy who works against the word, as Peter warns: “Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). What is heard but not received is easily taken away.
- “Receive the word with joy; but these have no root”
The rocky ground pictures people who respond quickly and gladly, but shallowly. They “believe for a while.” Luke says they fall away “in time of temptation,” or testing, where Mark speaks of “oppression or persecution” (Mark 4:16-17). Faith without roots withers when following Jesus becomes costly.
- “Choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life”
The thorny ground is the most subtle danger. The word grows, but slowly the cares of daily life, the pursuit of money and the pleasures of life crowd it out, and they “bring no fruit to maturity.” Paul warns that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
The Significance of Luke 8:9-14
- Hearing is a responsibility
God’s word is offered to all, yet each person is responsible for how it is received. Jesus later warns, “Be careful therefore how you hear” (Luke 8:18).
- Guarding the seed
Each failed soil suggests a safeguard: listen attentively so the word is not snatched away; let it sink deep roots through prayer and obedience so it survives testing; and weed out the worries and desires that compete with it.
Cross-References:
Mark 4:14-15: "The farmer sows the word. The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them." Mark’s explanation of the parable.
Isaiah 6:9: "You hear indeed, but don’t understand; and you see indeed, but don’t perceive." The prophecy Jesus quotes.
Conclusion: In Luke 8:9-14 the disciples ask Jesus what the parable of the farmer means. The mysteries of God’s Kingdom are given to those who come to him. The seed is the word of God. Along the road the devil snatches it away before it can be believed; on the rock it springs up with joy but has no root and dies in testing; among the thorns it is choked by cares, riches and pleasures. Jesus calls every listener to receive his word deeply and let it grow to maturity.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible