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Luke 8:19-21
Continuing from the lesson of Luke 8:15 (NKJV), “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”, and by learning, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23), we can begin to understand what Jesus is referring to in Luke 8:19-21.
The seed sown is not literally “seed” planted in the ground but is an example that Jesus used to help the people understand the message that He is teaching. The seed is His Word and “sowing” His Word is hearing, understanding, and “planting” it in their hearts in sincerity to implement these lessons in their lives. The fruit of the Spirit consists of things that are spiritual, not physical, as is the requirements of the Law that was given to Moses.
In responding as Jesus did in Luke 8:21, He is not intending to be non-receptive to His earthly mother and brothers but is extending the greater message to His spiritual family. Jesus states in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The Bible teaches us in Mark 10:29-31, “So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters of father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.’”
This is the greater promise of the eternal family of God through our Savior Jesus Christ.
Note how Jesus does not just say that we should hear the Word of God, but that we should also do the Word of God. These are the people that make up the family of God, spiritually. We have all been given earthly families as an example of the love and bond that God has with each of us as part of His creation. However, we live in a sinful world and our earthly families are subject to the imperfect world in which we live. Because of the sinful nature, we experience the trials and issues of family life on earth, but in eternity we will experience a perfect family in heaven if we, “…hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21).
John 3:16-18 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” To simply hear God’s Word does not necessarily constitute a change in our lives. But for those who hear and do God’s Word reflects that hearing God’s Word has been taken into our hearts and has transformed our lives to do the things that we have learned through God’s Word. James explains the importance of the sincerity in the relationship between faith and works in James 2:15-19, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble!” If we truly believe in God’s Word and in Jesus, we will reflect that in our doing. These are the ones that belong to the family of God, spiritually.
Dear Lord,
Please help us to do Your Word in our lives. Please help us to see that doing the lessons that we learn in Your Word is a reflection of our faith in You. Practicing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is doing Your Word and showing our faith in You and in Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Please help us to see that the only way to eternity in heaven is by believing in Jesus, and that believing in Jesus is hearing and doing Your Word through the forgiveness that He provided for us on the cross in paying for our sins and then defeating sin when You raised Him from the grave. In Jesus name I pray, amen.