Luk 8 outline:
Luk 8:1-3, He preached the kingdom of God in every city + village/ twelve disciples + women who followed Him
Luk 8:4, He taught them in parables
Luk 8:5-8, The parable of the sower
Luk 8:9-10, Teaching in parables that the multitude may see and hear, but not know or understand
Luk 8:11-15, He explained the parable of the sower to His disciples
Luk 8:16-18, Take heed how you hear (the key to receiving understanding from God’s wisdom)
Luk 8:19-21, Jesus’ mother + brothers came to see Him/ those who hear the word and do it are His mother + brothers
Luk 8:22-25, Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves, and they obeyed Him
Luk 8:26-39, Jesus cast the demons out of a man of the Gadarenes
Luk 8:40-56, Jesus raised a girl from the dead / woman with the flow of blood healed
Luk 8:1-56 chiastic structure:
1a.1) Luk 8:1a, He went through every city and village;
1a.2) Luk 8:1b, Preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God;
1b) Luk 8:1c-3, The twelve + others who had been healed were with Him, providing for Him;
1c) Luk 8:4, When a great multitude had gathered which had come to Him from every city;
1d.1) Luk 8:5-8a, The parable of the sower;
1d.2) Luk 8:8b-9, He who has ears to hear, let him hear/ His disciples asked, What does this parable mean?;
central axis) Luk 8:10, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand;”
2d.1) Luk 8:11-15, Jesus explained the parable of the sower to His disciples;
2d.2) Luk 8:16-18, No one lights a lamp and then covers it/ therefore take heed how you hear;
2c) Luk 8:19 Then His mother + brothers also came to Him, and could not approach because of the crowd;
2b) Luk 8:20-21, Mother + brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it;
2a.1) Luk 8:22-26, They got into the boat/ wind + waves obeyed Him/ sailed to the country of the Gadarenes opposite Galilee;
2a.2) Luk 8:27-56, Jesus healed the Gadarene demoniac + woman with the flow of blood + raised the girl to life.
Have you ever had the thought that it wasn’t very fair of Jesus to speak in parables, and then not explain their meaning to the multitude so that they could not understand the meaning of His words?
But the key to this passage is brought out by the structure:
1d.2) Luk 8:8b-9, He who has ears to hear, let him hear/ His disciples asked, What does this parable mean?;
2d.2) Luk 8:16-18, No one lights a lamp and then covers it/ therefore take heed how you hear;
Jesus lit a lamp and then set it on a table so that it gave light to all the house – when He explained the parable of the sower for His disciples. His next statement implied that they took heed how they heard His words and His message. How did they take heed? They believed Him, they received His words and believed His words were true, and then acted on that belief – they followed Him.
I notice that His disciples (who He was not related to by blood) were with Him, and women who He had healed (who were not His mother) were with the group, who provided for Him from their substance. Unlike His biological mother and brothers, His disciples and these women did not have any trouble having access to Jesus despite the multitude. They were His “brothers” and His “mother” who had heard the word of God, and obeyed it.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Mar 6:4
It may be that His family, who was with Him from babyhood, were not the first to believe He was Israel’s Messiah, and at this point might have wanted to see Him to get Him to back down and see reason. But the fact remains that they did come to believe Him, and believe in Him, as His disciples and the women who provided for Him, did.
But if anyone wants to be in the inner circle club, and not in the outsider/ multitudes club who hears but does not understand, Jesus is not excluding you or preventing you. It is the way we hear that determines which club we belong to. If we have ears to hear – if we take heed how we hear, receiving His words with belief – then the door is open to the inner circle club. He is no respecter of persons! Aren’t you glad? ♥
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