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    Luke 8:1-21
    Lesson 121

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson: 
     
    The second tour of Galilee.
     
    Jesus teaches and prepares the disciples for life without Him. 
    Study Tip:
                      
    Find the truth in each passage of the Bible.  Ponder how that truth is relevant to you.  Determine what you can do to apply that truth into your life. 

    The Gospel According to St. Luke

    The King James Bible    ​

    Luke 8:1-21
    Two parables
    ​
    1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

    3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

    4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:

    5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

    6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

    7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

    8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

    9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

    10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

    11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

    12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

    13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

    14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

    15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

    16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.

    17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

    18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

    19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.

    20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.

    ​21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "He went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings."  (8:1) - Mean's, Jesus traveled "throughout every city and village" of Galilee (Matthew 4:23), announcing the good news of salvation. 

    "Mary Magdalene." (8:2) - From the village of Magdala, she is one of seven Mary's mentioned in the New Testament.  After Jesus freed her from seven demons (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2), Mary became a devoted follower who traveled with Jesus and His group.  She made the final trip to Jerusalem and was there at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:55; Mark 15:40; John 19:25).  When others fled, Mary bravely stood vigil beside the cross until Jesus died (Luke 23:46-49).  Mary was still on Calvary when Jesus was taken off the cross and buried (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55).  Three days later, with Salome and Mary (the mother of James), she went to anoint Jesus' body and found the grave empty.  Mary Magdalene was among the first to hear that Jesus had been resurrected (Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8) and the first to see Him after He had arisen (Mark 16:9; John 20:10-16).

    "Joanna." (8:3) - Well connected, Joanna was the wife of Chuza, one of Herod's stewards (Luke 8:3), who ran the royal palace.  After being miraculously healed by Jesus (Luke 8:2), she became a devoted supporter of the Messiah.  She was one of the first to learn of the empty tomb of the resurrected Christ (Luke 24:10). 

    "Susanna." (8:3) - A familiar name in Biblical times.  Not much is known about her other than she was the beneficiary of one of Jesus' miracles (Luke 8:2-3) and became a follower and supporter. 

    "Which ministered unto him of their substance." (8:3) - "Who helped Him with their own resources." 

    "Unto you it is given to know." (8:10) - This means, the knowledge of God's kingdom will be given to the disciples. 

    "But to the others in parables." (8:10) - But everyone else will be told in parables. 

    "Seeing they might not see..." (8:10) - Quoted from Isaiah 6:9 written seven hundred years before the crucifixion. 

    "Believe and be saved." (8:12) - Jesus is proclaiming that it is faith that saves us. 

    "To perfection." (8:14) - "To maturity."

    "With patience." (8:15) - Means "With perseverance."

    "Nothing is secret." (8:17) - This refers to "the mysteries of the kingdom of God" (8:10).  All God's truth will be revealed in due time (Luke 12:2-3; 1 Corinthians 4:5).

    "Made manifest." (8:17) - Means,  "Revealed."

    "Be known and come abroad." (8:17) - "Be made known and come to light." 

    "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given." (8:18) - Means, whoever has faith will be given more spiritual wisdom.  A version of this message appears in Proverbs 9:9.  Jesus repeats it in Matthew 13:12, 25:29, and again in Mark 4:25. 

    "Even that which he seemeth to have." (8:18) - "Even that which he thinks he has." 

    "Could not come at him for the press." (8:19) - "Could not reach Him because of the crowd." 

    "Thy mother and thy brethren stand without." (8:20) - "Your mother and brothers are standing outside." 

    "My brethren are these which hear the word of God." (8:21) - Jesus' family is anyone who believes in Him.  Since family (blood) ties were important in Jewish society, these words would have surprised the disciples.  But to Jesus, a spiritual relationship is higher than carnal relationships.
    Read Matthew 13:3-23 (lesson 25) and Mark 4:2-20 ​(lesson 69) for additional accounts of the parable of the soil.


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Luke 8:1-21
    Women Who Followed Jesus
     
    1 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him,

    2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons;

    3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.
     
    Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed
     
    4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him:

    5 "A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it.

    6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture.

    7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants.

    8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!" When he had said this, he called out, "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."
     
    9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant.

    10 He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables to teach the others so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
     
      'When they look, they won't really see.
          When they hear, they won't understand.'
     
    11 "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God's word.

    12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.

    13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.

    14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

    15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.
     
    Parable of the Lamp
     
    16 "No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.

    17 For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.
     
    18 "So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them."
     
    The True Family of Jesus
     
    19 Then Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn't get to him because of the crowd.

    ​20 Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to see you."
     
    21 Jesus replied, "My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God's word and obey it." 

    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
    1. What does the parable of the candle mean? (8:16)      
     
     
    One purpose of these lessons is to create an interest in learning more about the Bible, so spend time exploring the Old and New Testament's every day.

    Answer: (Do you agree?)
     
    1. The parable of the candle means that everyone who receives Jesus' light has the responsibility to share that light.  Let the world see and benefit from your good fruit; do not hide it.  
     
    Additional note: This is the second of two parables that appear in Luke's Gospel.  Both Matthew and Mark have ten parables each.
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    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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