The major theme of Luke 8 is just the same as that of Luke 7, almost every incidence or teaching or story in this chapter bothers on the subject of faith! We have the parable of the sower which is a focus on the seed of the word of God! And strong faith as we have come to know is rooted in the power of the word. Our depth in the word determines the strength of our faith!
While Jesus was still teaching this some men came to let him know his family was looking for him. The master came up with a response that shows how faith in God's word brings us into God's family!
"And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it" Luke 8:21 KJV
Faith is what brings us into a spiritual relationship with God and brings us into God's family!
From here on it was the disciples and the master facing the storm, and once again the question of faith came up again! The chapter progresses from here till the end showcasing a lot of the master's miracle which all came by faith. Notably was that of the woman with the issue of blood who came in the press behind and touch Jesus by faith and the touch of faith provoked the flow of virtue and that flow of virtue added value to her life! In other words, our faith is what connects us to God's virtue and God's virtue adds value to our lives. Hence the central theme of Luke 8 is on the subject of faith!
However at the beginning, Luke gave us details about how Jesus' ministry receives support from some of the women mentioned in Luke 8:1-3. There are 15 other women mentioned in the book of Luke that are not mentioned in other books of the gospels! This highlights once again Luke's knack for details and the attention he gives to the relationships in the life of the Master.
PARABLE OF THE SOWER Luke 8:4-18
In this study today we will focus on the parable of the sower and the experience of the disciples when facing the storms of life! The parable of the sower will help us develop our faith, while the experience of the disciples will guide us in the usage of our faith!
In every parable of scriptures are packages of wisdom. Jesus spoke to this end in Mark 4:11 when he told his disciples,
"And he said unto them, Unto you, it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables".
Parables are meant to conceal the wisdom of God that only the understanding heart can unravel. Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us,
"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law".
In other words, whatever is concealed belongs to God and whatever is revealed belongs to men and through the power of revelation we are able to walk in the laws of the lord. God conceals his mysteries so that we can grow by the process of searching for them. These mysteries are concealed so that we can find them, they are hidden to be revealed.
Proverbs 25:2 throws more light on this,
"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter".
There is honor in searching out that which is concealed. Revelation brings honor! This is the honor that God wants to become ours as we search out the mysteries of his word! This was the intent of the masters in using parables to speak and teach, for those who are not given, those who are without the kingdom, its just another fable. But for those that are within the kingdom inside every parable of scriptures are packages of wisdom!
Consider this, when a father has a gift from the child what is the intent of hiding? It is about the thrill of finding! The purpose of hiding is not to hide but for the child to search! And so it is that when the disciples could not understand the parable then they begin to " search", they ask the matter what is the meaning of this? That's how we are to approach the word prayerfully asking for its meaning!
Read full blog post here UNDERSTANDING CHRIST: A Look Through The Book Of Luke - Luke 8
While Jesus was still teaching this some men came to let him know his family was looking for him. The master came up with a response that shows how faith in God's word brings us into God's family!
"And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it" Luke 8:21 KJV
Faith is what brings us into a spiritual relationship with God and brings us into God's family!
From here on it was the disciples and the master facing the storm, and once again the question of faith came up again! The chapter progresses from here till the end showcasing a lot of the master's miracle which all came by faith. Notably was that of the woman with the issue of blood who came in the press behind and touch Jesus by faith and the touch of faith provoked the flow of virtue and that flow of virtue added value to her life! In other words, our faith is what connects us to God's virtue and God's virtue adds value to our lives. Hence the central theme of Luke 8 is on the subject of faith!
However at the beginning, Luke gave us details about how Jesus' ministry receives support from some of the women mentioned in Luke 8:1-3. There are 15 other women mentioned in the book of Luke that are not mentioned in other books of the gospels! This highlights once again Luke's knack for details and the attention he gives to the relationships in the life of the Master.
PARABLE OF THE SOWER Luke 8:4-18
In this study today we will focus on the parable of the sower and the experience of the disciples when facing the storms of life! The parable of the sower will help us develop our faith, while the experience of the disciples will guide us in the usage of our faith!
In every parable of scriptures are packages of wisdom. Jesus spoke to this end in Mark 4:11 when he told his disciples,
"And he said unto them, Unto you, it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables".
Parables are meant to conceal the wisdom of God that only the understanding heart can unravel. Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us,
"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law".
In other words, whatever is concealed belongs to God and whatever is revealed belongs to men and through the power of revelation we are able to walk in the laws of the lord. God conceals his mysteries so that we can grow by the process of searching for them. These mysteries are concealed so that we can find them, they are hidden to be revealed.
Proverbs 25:2 throws more light on this,
"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter".
There is honor in searching out that which is concealed. Revelation brings honor! This is the honor that God wants to become ours as we search out the mysteries of his word! This was the intent of the masters in using parables to speak and teach, for those who are not given, those who are without the kingdom, its just another fable. But for those that are within the kingdom inside every parable of scriptures are packages of wisdom!
Consider this, when a father has a gift from the child what is the intent of hiding? It is about the thrill of finding! The purpose of hiding is not to hide but for the child to search! And so it is that when the disciples could not understand the parable then they begin to " search", they ask the matter what is the meaning of this? That's how we are to approach the word prayerfully asking for its meaning!
Read full blog post here UNDERSTANDING CHRIST: A Look Through The Book Of Luke - Luke 8
