A
LESSON IN FARMING?
LUKE
8:1-9
Susan: I
deferred to the gardener in our family for most of this lesson.
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,
Susie: The
twelve disciples appointed by Jesus to be His Apostles, His special messengers,
had left their homes and their jobs to travel with Jesus wherever He led them.
Susan: Jesus
was not a doom and gloom preacher. He was a proclaimer of joy and deliverance through
surrender to the King of kings in order to live as a free subject in the
Kingdom of God.
Luke
8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of
Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him
of their substance.
Susan: Although
rabbis often had followers who left everything behind to shadow their teacher,
it would have been highly unusual for a rabbi to have women as disciples. Jesus
did have women disciples whether they were labeled as such or not. These women
not only traveled with Jesus and the Apostles, but it is clear they were His
chief financial supporters.
Susie: Mary
was probably called Magdalene because she was from the town of Magdala. This
was a thriving town whose primary industry was making dye and textiles. This
may be how Mary Magdalene acquired the means to give financial support to
Jesus. There is no reason to believe that she was the prostitute in the
previous chapter. Otherwise, why would Luke wait to name her until after that
account? The text does tell us that Jesus had cast seven demons out of Mary
Magdalene. This obviously led her to believe in Him as the Messiah, trust Him,
and become a disciple. Her gratitude must have been immense!
Susan: It was
to Mary Magdalene that Jesus first appeared near the garden tomb after His
resurrection from the dead. Jesus consistently elevated the status of women from
being considered objects owned by men to being valued members of the Messianic
community, the church.
Susie: Joanna,
also healed by Jesus, was the wife of Chuza who managed Herod’s money. Her
husband’s high position may be how she was able to contribute to the needs of
Jesus and the disciples. Joanna is later seen mourning Jesus’s death at the
tomb and subsequently heralding His resurrection. This verse is the only
mention of Susanna in the Bible although she is the heroine of the Apocryphal
work, The History of Susanna.
Susan: It is
not clear how Jesus had ministered in the lives of Joanna and Susanna, whether
He had delivered them from demons or healed a physical illness. Jesus’s
ministry was tailor made toward the specific need of each woman, and now they
were His devoted disciples.
Luke
8:4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of
every city, he spake by a parable:
American
Dictionary of the English Language – Noah Webster 1828
parable
- A fable or allegorical relation or representation of something real in life
or nature, from which a moral is drawn for instruction; such as the parable of
the trees choosing a king, Judges 9:1; the parable of the poor man and his
lamb. 2 Samuel 12:1; the parable of the ten virgins, Matthew 25:1.
Susie: Why
did Jesus use parables even though many in the crowd would not get the deeper
message from them? Matthew’s gospel sheds some light on the reasons:
Matthew
13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and
hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Matthew
13:34-35 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and
without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter
things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Susan: Jesus
referenced two Old Testament prophecies in the passage from Matthew:
Isaiah
6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not;
and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Psalm
78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
Luke
8:5 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.
Susie: The
Parable of the Sower is more than a lesson in sowing seed, and we will get to
its deeper meaning in the next lesson. For now, we will just explain the method
used for sowing seed in the first century and the literal scenarios described
by Jesus. There were no farming machines as we know them. Therefore, seed was
tossed by hand into a plowed field. The first example Jesus gave was the seed
that fell by the wayside. Along the edges of the plowed field would be a path
that was trodden down until it was hard. The seed that fell there would not
sink into the soil. Birds could easily swoop down and have lunch on these
uncovered seeds.
Luke
8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered
away, because it lacked moisture.
Susie: There
would be rocky places at the edge of the fields or where the plow had missed an
area. The seeds might sprout because of the thin coat of dirt on top of the
rock, but there would be no dirt to hold moisture. Therefore, the sprouted
plant would burn up under the hot sun, wither, and die.
Luke
8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked
it.
Susie: When I
think of thorns, I think of the insidious sticker weeds that infested my lawn.
Their roots spread far and even wrapped themselves around the roots of the
grass, cutting off its supply of moisture and nutrients. The bare places spread
rapidly as the thorn plant took hold. What had been healthy grass was choked
out, leaving a brown patch on the lawn.
Luke
8:8 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.
Susie: The
final example is the ideal situation for growing a crop. The soil has been
tilled and freed of weeds enabling the seeds to take root and flourish, bearing
a crop up to one hundred times as big as the amount of seed sown.
Susan: Jesus
was not talking about whether or not they had the mechanism to hear. I’m sure
His listeners had ears. Jesus was saying (Susan Renée paraphrase), “Are you
listening? Pay attention! This is a principle you need to observe and obey.
Your adherence to it will determine your success.”
Luke
8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Susan: Unfortunately,
even Jesus’s disciples did not have a clue about this parable, only questions.
Susie: We
will see Jesus answer them in the next lesson.
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