Scripture:
Luke 8:4-15 (English Standard Version)
The Parable of the Sower
4(A) And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5(B) "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up,(C) it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7And some fell among(D) thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded(E) a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, (F) "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
The Purpose of the Parables 9And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10he said, (G) "To you it has been given to know(H) the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so(I) that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' 11(J) Now the parable is this: The seed is(K) the word of God. 12The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not(L) believe and be saved. 13And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it(M) with joy. But these have no root; they(N) believe for a while, and in time of testing(O) fall away. 14And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but(P) as they go on their way they are choked by the(Q) cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and(R) bear fruit(S) with patience.
Cross references:
Luke 8:4 : For Luke 8:4-10, Matt 13:1-15; Mark 4:1-12
Luke 8:5 : Isa 55:10; Amos 9:13
Luke 8:6 : John 15:6
Luke 8:7 : Jer 4:3
Luke 8:8 : Gen 26:12
Luke 8:8 : Matt 11:15
Luke 8:10 : Matt 19:11; Col 1:27; 1 Cor 2:6-10; 1 John 2:20, 27; Matt 11:25
Luke 8:10 : Rom 16:25
Luke 8:10 : Isa 6:9, 10; Matt 13:13
Luke 8:11 : For Luke 8:11-15, Matt 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20
Luke 8:11 : Luke 1:2; Mark 2:2; 4:33; Acts 8:4; James 1:21
Luke 8:12 : Mark 16:16
Luke 8:13 : Isa 58:2; Ezek 33:31, 32; Mark 6:20; John 5:35
Luke 8:13 : Gal 1:6; Hos 6:4; Gal 5:7
Luke 8:13 : 1 Tim 4:1; Heb 3:12
Luke 8:14 : James 1:11
Luke 8:14 : Matt 6:25
Luke 8:15 : Hos 14:8; John 15:5, 6; Phil 1:11; Col 1:6
Luke 8:15 : James 5:7; Heb 10:36
Reflection:
How good is your listening, especially for the word of God? God is ever ready to speak to each of us and to give us understanding of his word. Jesus' parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers of his word. There are different ways of accepting God's word and they produce different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to the things of God. Then there is the shallow hearer who fails to think things out or think them through; such a person lacks spiritual depth. They may initially respond with an emotional fervor; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else. Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests or cares, but who lacks the ability to hear or comprehend what is truly important. Such a person is for ever too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word. He or she may work so hard that they are too tired to even think of anything else but their work. Then there is the one whose mind is open. Such a person is at all times willing to listen and to learn. He or she is never too proud or too busy to learn. They listen in order to understand. God gives grace to those who hunger for his word that they may understand his will and have the strength to live according to it. Do you hunger for God's word?
Prayer For The Day:
Lord, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and live according to it.
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