Luke 8:4-15
“Notice what you notice.” Luke’s account of the Parable of the Sower… In spite of being the shortest of the three accounts of this parable, Luke has two items that the other writers do not have.
The first is in verse 8, As He said these things, He cried out (or He called out), “he who has ears to hear, let him hear”! Mark writes, “He said…”; Matthew simply continues from a previous sentence. I particularly like that “He cried out…” the translation in the NKJV. I always picture Jesus speaking calmly, teaching, sometimes in a louder voice, but never shouting. Even when He is chastising the Pharisees, I don’t see Him screaming, “You brood of vipers…”. He cried out… puts a slightly different imperative on those of us who believe we “have ears”.
Second, both Matthew and Mark end their explanations of the parable with the recipients on good soil accepting or understanding the word and bearing fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Luke ends his account with …in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience (v. 15). Two things are different here: (1) they hold {the word} fast in an honest and good heart and (2) they bear fruit with patience. The “honest and good heart” phrase paints a picture of a sainted follower – quietly listening, absorbing, fully touched by Jesus’ words. Nice.
But I really like bearing fruit “with patience”. We sowers simply speak “the word” and wait…, wait…, wait… Whatever our listener’s reaction, we wait. Minutes. Hours. Days. Months. Years…???!!! (My baby brother…!) We don’t know the final outcome when we share “the word”. GLORY!
Slava Bohu!