Be Careful How You Hear

Why did they stop…violin music.

We’ve seen that so far in the gospel of Luke. He’s come to announce good news—you’d think that everybody would be celebrating this and that Jesus would be the most popular dude in the world.

But he has gotten a mixed reception. He’s certainly popular…and at this point in our story he is probably at the height of his popularity. But as the story unfolds he’s going to be pretty much alone at the end of the story.

For Jesus the people who you think are going to be receptive to him are the least receptive and the ones you think don’t have much part in the kingdom of God—the outcasts these are the ones flocking to Jesus. So what’s the difference. Why do some respond differently.

It’s kind of like when you talk to your friends about a movie that you think is awesome and they are just kind of like, “meh”. Or a place that you just love to eat and they are like, “no I’d prefer McDonalds”. Or a joke that everyone laughs at except that one guy who just doesn’t get it.

Well that same thing is happening with Jesus. He has been warmly received by some—enthusiastically received by others. As we’re going to see His family now thinks that he’s crazy. The religious leaders want him dead. Some people want to make him king. Jesus has become a polarizing figure. But why is that? Why do people respond to the son of God differently?

Why the mixed reception? Why are some following Him? Why are some following Him only to later betray Him? Why are some following at a distance? Why are some indifferent? Why are some actively opposing Him?

Even here we have different responses to the gospel of Jesus. And this text will actually answer that. Why do we respond differently to Jesus.

We get an answer in Luke 8:4-21

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Sermon Introduction:

It’s kind of answering the question why do some people get a parable and others don’t. Why for instance did King David respond to Nathan’s parable with repentance but the Pharisees and Sadducees clearly got Jesus’ parables but they responded with anger, rage, and a plot to murder him? So why didn’t David seek Nathan’s head? Why didn’t the religious leaders of the day repent?

Even today we can ask these same questions? Why do some fall away? Why do some seem to get excited and then fizzle out once it gets tough? Why do some follow Jesus in name only—but really never produce any fruit? Why do some follow Jesus and produce fruit?

We can even make it personal. Does the message of the kingdom stop me in my tracks? Does it change my life? Do I conform my life to the message of the kingdom? Or am I just a passerby? Does the busy of my day drown out the message of the kingdom? Am I so consumed in my own world that beauty does not grab me?

And so this passage kind of answers that but it also kind of doesn’t. It tells us on the surface here is “why”—because the soil is different. But this parable doesn’t go the next step and try to answer that question—well why is some of the soil different? And so we have to be careful not to try to make this passage answer our questions that it does not intend to answer. We have to just let the text speak, listen to Jesus, and drop anchor on what we do know He is saying.

And what we see all over this passage is “be careful how you hear”. If you have ears use them. That’s the point in the parable and also in these narratives that follow.

So let’s walk through the parable, try to understand it, then do some application and see if we’re right in our understanding by looking at v16-18 and then 19-21.

The Parable

A great crowd is gathered and people from town to town are coming to him. Luke wants you to see that there are many people here. In the Gospel of Mark, he has Jesus beginning with the words “listen”. Luke’s story is a bit more simple. But the response to Jesus is certainly in the fore.

What will be the response as Jesus tells this story? Will the hearers actually hear and apply His words? Will they gather its significance? Or will they just say, “nice story dude” and go on with the rest of their lives?

Jesus then tells the story. A sower goes out to sow. Obviously, what else would you expect him to do? Sowers sow. And it’s interesting though the way he is doing this. It’s like he’s just going and scattering seed everywhere. It was a common method in Jesus’ day for a farmer to sow the seed first without plowing. So it’s not quite as crazy as it sounds to us.

Nonetheless as he scatters the seed everywhere in this field it falls on various soils. One seed falls along a path. A path is hard. The seed is just going to stay on the top. In Palestine during this time you sowed the seed and then plowed later. Since you don’t plow up your path—this seed would never get plowed. And so, It doesn’t last long because birds come and quickly devour the seed.

The second type of seed falls on rocky ground…where it really does not have much depth but immediately it springs up b/c it has no depth of soil. The focus here is on the contrast between impressive upward growth and inadequate roots. Because of the inadequate roots it doesn’t last long at all once the scorching heat of the sun comes. Its start probably would have gotten the farmer excited…but once the sun came that excitement quickly turned to disappointment as the plant died…it withered away.

The third type of seed actually grows but it gets choked out by the competition of thorns growing up and choking it out. And therefore, even though, it did grow it did not yield any grain and was just as worthless in the end as the first two seeds.

The last type of seed is planted in good soil. And it actually produces grain. An abundance of grain. There are a couple of ways to look at this thirty, sixty, and hundredfold. A tenfold return was considered a solid crop. So even the low end here is a really good crop.

And at the very end…and this is typically where we are to look for the interpretation of a Psalm…Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”. So the application point of all of this is “if you have ears to hear—then hear”.

Thankfully Jesus tells us the purpose of this parable—he explains the meaning. That’s helpful. Jesus explains this in verses 9-10 but we’re going to hold onto those for just a moment.

But this parable is really the one that unlocks all the other parables. It’s a parable that asks a question—who understands parables and why. Who gets it, who doesn’t, and why is that? Or to use our wording from early—for whom does the message of the kingdom grab? And who are the passerbys? Who are the ones that stop for a second but get so distracted by the hustle and bustle that they never really listen. This parable answers all other parables and so Jesus says, if you don’t get this one…it’s going to be pretty tough to understand the other parables too.

Verse 11. We now know that what is being sown is the word. It’s the gospel. It’s the message of the kingdom. This is the message of Jesus.

Verse 12 the ones along the path are those that hear the word but immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 2 Corinthians mentions that Satan is the god of this world, that blinds the minds of unbelievers. That is probably what is taking place here. The word is proclaimed, the person hears it…may even roll it around in his brain for awhile but once the message is out of his earshot—he’s like a person that has just been sprinkled with amnesia dust. What where we talking about, again? It’s gone. No fruit here. It doesn’t take root at all.

Verse 13 are the ones sown on rocky ground. They hear it and receive it with joy but it quickly withers and dies once tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word and immediately they fall away. Haven’t you seen this?

Sometimes you see this when tragedy strikes. Sometimes it happens when we have a really rough or rocky patch in our life. Or we’ve hit rock bottom and we’re just ripe for rescue. This person hears the message of Jesus, the message of the kingdom, the gospel. It sounds like THE ANSWER. On occasion you’ll see it around holidays. Or maybe even when things go wonderfully well in life. This might be the church camp high that you see.

This person is jumping in with both feet. Wow, this is gonna fix everything. I doubt they really understand the gospel. They aren’t really responding to Jesus. They could just as well be responding to Oprah. This is the crowd in John 6. They see Jesus doing miracles, they figure this guy is pretty cool…he’s got the answers…yep, I’m a disciple of Jesus. I’m gonna try this one out. So they jump in full force.

Then they go to work and get made fun of. What, a Jesus follower? You fool. Or they get persecuted. They realize that being a follower of Jesus costs something. Forget this. They endured for awhile but once the tough times come…they’ll try something a little less dangerous than Jesus. Or perhaps the cost of following Jesus is just too much.

What I think is kind of tragic on these is how we’ve built whole theologies around protecting this type of soil. Look they have faith. They must be saved. But the text doesn’t say that. There is nothing in this text which would lead us to believe that. But I really think that some of these might even still be church goers. Might even look outwardly like they are still following—still disciples of Jesus—but there really hasn’t been that heart change—there isn’t growth. And so outwardly such a one might stick around for a season, but when it comes to actually following Jesus such a one is going to fall away.

The third soil actually hears the word. It appears that he even grows up, but he never produces any fruit. He’s too busy. This is probably like the would-be-followers that Jesus references in Luke 14. They’ll follow Jesus…they’ll be passionate disciples but “first let me…” I want to get these things in order first and then I’ll follow you, then I’ll get serious, then you’ll see some fruit.

The cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word. You’ve seen this in your own life have you not. You’ve seen the radical demands of Jesus come crashing up against some of your desires. I’d love to get more serious about Jesus but I’m too busy. Well why? Well I’m too busy because the desires of the world are stronger than my desires for Christ. The deceitfulness of riches have a choke-hold on my life, my time and so I never produce any fruit. I’m trying to keep up with the flow of the world and its choking out the message of the kingdom.

Wow, that sounds like a nice tune. Can’t stop though…I’m way too busy. I’ve got bills to pay. I’ve got a new car to pay for. A new house. I’ve got dreams and goals that need to be accomplished. I’d love to hear the tune but I can’t. The message of the kingdom apparently isn’t beautiful enough to captivate this fella’s passion.

But the fourth soil…or the fourth seed is thrown onto good soil. And it produces a great crop. It bears fruit. Not just any fruit but an abundance of fruit. This one hears the word and accepts it. Now of course this accepting is much more than simply a mental assent. It’s not as if it’s only saying, “I accept this message of the kingdom..sounds good…Jesus is the Christ…now let’s move on.”

No this “accepting” is life-altering. It’s hearing the message of the kingdom and surrendering to it. It’s giving up your self-reliance, your self-exaltation. It’s stopping and listening to the concert. It’s not only sitting by on the side lines…it’s getting into the music. It’s bobbing your head to the beat. It’s swinging your hips a little. It’s so moving it makes you want to buy a violin. That’s what it means to stop and listen to the concert. That’s what it means to accept the message of the kingdom.

So why do some stop? This is an easy answer and it’s a difficult answer. The easy answer is that they didn’t stop because it did not captivate them. They did not really listen. They were not careful how they heard. Same thing with the message of the kingdom. They didn’t listen. Whether it was b/c they had hard hearts like the word that is planted along the path—and it’s not even able to penetrate and what little is left there Satan takes away. Or they are the rocky soil that grows up fast but b/c it’s not really rooted in Jesus but only a self-help message—b/c it’s not actually planted by the Lord—it quickly drifts away. Or they are so distracted by the world—their hearts are so consumed with other desires or riches or whatever and the message of the kingdom does not bear fruit.

Now I’m guessing that you get this parable. I’m guessing that you know which kind of soil you are at this stage in your life. You know what happens when you read the Word and when you come and hear a sermon. You know which type of response you give to God’s Word. The question is—what are you going to do with it? What are you going to do about it?

This is—in part what Jesus is answering in this parable. When the message of the kingdom comes up to some people they get it—they understand the implications—they get what it means for them…just like the Pharisees and the Sadducees…but they don’t respond as good soil. So why is that?

So the easy answer…why don’t people stop? Why don’t people respond positively to the message of the kingdom? Why do people reject the gospel—or at least not bear fruit in their response to the gospel? And it’s simple. They don’t listen.

But it’s also kind of a tough answer too. And now we turn to verse 9-10. It’s been said that the Scripture and the gospel is shallow enough for a lamb to go wading, but deep enough for the elephant to swim. The tension here may be a swimming elephant part. Verse 9.

Jesus is now alone away from the crowd. Those with the twelve, so Jesus’ disciples and a few of these other followers (perhaps guys like Justus and Matthias that we read about in Acts 1). They asked him about the parables. Probably “why do you teach in parables so much”?

To this Jesus responds, “to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables”. That’s okay to swallow. But then he says,

“everything is given in parables” SO THAT…that is a purpose clause. That means that Jesus is saying here…You guys are given the secrets of the kingdom of God…you guys are in the know…you guys are insiders…you know what’s going on…you understand…you get it. But to all of those that are on the outside…those that do not get it…I speak in parables…and I do that because…

Ready for it? I do that because parables are much easier to understand. They are good stories, engaging, and even children can understand them.

Wait. That’s not what it says. I speak in parables so that…for the intended purpose that… “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand,”? What? That’s tough isn’t it?

It’s even more difficult in the gospel of Mark because Jesus keeps going and says, “lest they should turn and be forgiven”. In other words, “to outsiders I tell them parables so that they can’t perceive and can’t understand lest they should repent and if they repented they would be forgiven”.

Mark has Jesus quoting Isaiah 6:9-10. It’s in Isaiah the prophets commission where God tells him that his ministry is going to be a tough one. Here Jesus picks it up as part of his mission too. But back to our question…why does Jesus teach in parables?

The best explanation that I’ve heard of this text is the one given by James Edwards when he says:

The clue to receiving the mystery of the kingdom of God is found in Jesus. Those that are with Jesus and do the will of God are insiders to whom the mystery of the kingdom is revealed. Those who are not with Jesus are outsiders, for whom the parables seal their unbelief. The parable of the sower is like the cloud that separated the fleeing Israelites from the pursuing Egyptians, bringing ‘darkness to the one side and light to the other’. That which was blindness to Egypt was revelation to Israel. The same event was either a vehicle of light or of darkness, depending on one’s stance with God…right confession of Jesus leads to right discipleship. The parable of the sower informs and warns disciples that although the ministry of Jesus is [full of obstacles] it will produce a harvest beyond compare. Disciples too, will be sent to sow the word, and they, too will know the tremendous frustration of sowing where chances of harvest seem next to impossible. But as they have experienced in their own lives, the seed will unexpectantly find good soil in the lives of others. Those who hear will understand the mystery of the kingdom of God and will, by the grace of its [new-birth giving] power produce a harvest that is beyond belief!

So how do we apply this? There really in this text is only one application point. Listen! Be careful how you hear. And I don’t think this is only talking about how you listen to a sermon on Sunday morning. Its saying essentially heed the message of the kingdom. Stop, respond to His beauty. Anytime you hear Him. Anytime you meet the Lord in Scripture, with other believers, in creation, stop and heed the message of the kingdom! Listen!

Let’s see if we’re right by looking at the next couple passages:

Verses 16-18. If you light a lamp and cover it up—what in the world did you light it for? You light it so it can shine. Light is there to make visible what wasn’t seen before. Light is there to put away the darkness.

This is Jesus’ message. Everything hidden is going to be made known. So we’d do well to listen to the message of Jesus. If you respond to what you have then more is going to be given…if you hide what you’ve got under a bushel then that light is going to be stamped out.

I’ve seen this so many times. It’s how we end up dying spiritually sometimes. Be careful how you hear. Be careful about what you do with the message of the gospel. Be careful how you handle the word.

Verses 19-21. Jesus’ family wants to see him. Other gospels have them a bit more forceful. But here he’s telling us what…who is my family? Those who hear the word and do it?

What will we do with this, then:

This means that there may be things that need to go in our lives. Perhaps we need to get thorns out of our life. Perhaps we need to grab ahold of Jesus and go deeper and actually have roots. Maybe our hearts need to break so that we can receive the word. Maybe idols need to be forsaken. But fundamentally this is a call to heed the message of the kingdom!

This text also shows us that Christ is more precious than the deceitfulness of riches, etc.

It also shows that Christ is worthy of our digging deep and planting deep roots… He’s more valuable than just a superficial following. He’s also big enough to captivate our every passion and heal our every wound. No need to have a hard heart.

Heed the message of the kingdom. Listen:

GOD—God has created us. He has created us to enjoy Him and to extend His glory.

MAN—But we decided to enjoy the creation rather than creator. We decided we would rather extend our own borrowed glory instead of His. This carries with it great consequences. Rather than life, meaning, and freedom we are robbed of our humanity and the God-intended relationships with each other and our Creator. Because of sin we are now spiritually dead, enslaved, and under the wrath of God.

CHRIST—But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to rescue and redeem humanity. He throws the curse on its head. He restores us to our God intended relationships and gives us life, meaning, and freedom. We now have peace with God in Christ. Because of his life, death, and resurrection Redemption and Restoration is found in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

RESPONSE—Because Christ is the only mediator we must trust in Christ alone. We know from Scripture that all that the Father gives to Jesus will come to Him, and whoever comes, He will never cast out. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

So what is our response to this message of the kingdom? Does the message of the kingdom stop me in my tracks? Does it change my life? Do I conform my life to the message of the kingdom? Or am I just a passerby? Does the busy of my day drown out the message of the kingdom? Am I so consumed in my own world that beauty does not grab me?