Take care then how you hear

On first reading of the Parable of the Sower recorded in Luke 8:4-18 (also Matthew 13:1-15 and Mark 4:1-12), it is easy for the Christian to externalize it and immediately consider oneself to be the good soil.  They can look at the other different types of soil (path, rock, and thorns) and immediately begin to identify individuals or stereotypes that fit into those categories.  They can look at the sowing as an initial salvation step, and turn it into a predestination / election / free-will debate (can I get a “Well those other three soil types obviously weren’t chosen by God! I’m the good soil, I’m one of the elect!” in here?).  It might even be used to support a prosperity gospel argument where those who ‘accept Christ’ can expect their bank account to grow a hundredfold.

But is that really what Jesus was getting at?  I think perhaps not.

Note the common theme – hearing:

• After telling the parable, Jesus cautions people to hear (verse 8).
• When asked by his disciples to explain, he starts (verse 10) by stating that some may hear parables and not understand (a reference to Isaiah 6:9-10), but that they (the disciples) have been “given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God“.
• Jesus then moves on to the parable itself and – as part of his explanation – states that the seed is the word of God.  He links hearing of this word to each of the four outcomes associated with the types of soil in the parable.
• He finishes up in verse 18 with another caution: “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Consider the people listening to this passage, who had come from many surrounding towns see Jesus, as he traveled through Galilee teaching and performing miracles.  They lived in an agrarian society, and knew what “sowing” entailed.  Does a sower scatter their seed just once?  No .. a sower scatters their seed in an ongoing and persistent manner, according to the season.  And the sower will scatter their seed over the same ground many times.

“Take care then how you hear.”  Maybe this passage is not just about initial salvation, and is instead a warning about the need for ongoing effective hearing of God’s word by Christians.  We need to be careful, lest we fail to accept what is heard (or have it stolen from us).

“Take care then how you hear.” Maybe our response to the sown seed in the parable is not a one-off thing (decision to accept salvation) but is many responses, to many seeds, that should continue throughout our Christian walk.

“Take care then how you hear.”  How many times am we like the path?  Or the rock?  or the thorns?  How many times does the word of God, when sown into our lives (in the form of teaching or reading or life experiences), get lost to our temptation / sin, dryness, or distractions?

Verse 15 gives a little more guidance – “hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience“.  How often does the word we hear make it that far?  Are we listening in the way that Jesus intended?

And what about verses 16 and 17?  Is the word of God that you are hearing, as a Christian, being captured and redirected to bring the truth to others – like a lamp (of which there are many different types), placed where it can help all to see?