Well, this morning as we come to the Word of God, we're back in the Gospel of Luke, continuing on with the story of Jesus.
Last time, we heard Jesus tell the parable of the sower and the soils.
It was a parable about how people have different responses to the Word of God that Jesus has been speaking.
And why?
Well, after telling that parable, Jesus had more to say.
He continues on.
And so, we're going to listen to what Jesus has to say in Luke chapter 8, verse 16.
Luke chapter 8, verse 16.
No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed.
Instead, they put it on a stand so that those who come in can see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.
Whoever has will be given more.
Whoever does not have, even what they think they have, will be taken from them.
Now, these words of Jesus aren't easy to understand.
Jesus uses an analogy of lamp and light.
But what does he mean by it?
Jesus uses proverbial language.
Verse 17 and verse 18 sound like they could be right out of the book of Proverbs.
In order to understand what Jesus means, we have to understand what the elements of this analogy relate to.
We have to understand how the proverbial truth applies to what Jesus is talking about.
And as we hear these words of Jesus, for many of us are probably thinking,
these things sound really familiar.
And that's maybe because Jesus says these same things on more than one occasion.
And he applies each of these three sayings in each of these three verses in different ways on different occasions.
If we flip ahead just a few chapters to Luke chapter 11, verse 33,
we notice Jesus says the same thing.
He says,
No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden or under a bowl.
Instead, they put it on its stand so that those who come in may see the light.
But there in Luke chapter 11, as he continues on,
he says this, he says,
Your eye is the lamp of your body.
When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light.
Jesus goes in a totally different direction than he did here in Luke chapter 8.
The analogy relates differently to what he says.
Or we could look at this thing Jesus says in chapter 8, verse 17,
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed,
and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
Jesus says the same thing later in Luke chapter 12, verse 2.
There he says,
Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed,
or hidden that will not be made known.
He goes on in that chapter, chapter 12, to say,
What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight,
and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
Again, we see Jesus use the same words, the same sort of proverb,
but go in a totally different direction with it.
Instead of applying it to the light of a lamp and exposing what is hidden,
he applies it to the hidden hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
So that's what makes these words of Jesus kind of hard to understand.
We wonder, what is he talking about?
What does the lamp and the light represent?
What does hiding that lamp under the bed represent?
Many of us look to Matthew's gospel for an understanding of these words.
Matthew 5, verse 14 and 16.
Jesus uses the same language there.
He says,
You are the light of the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead, they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way,
let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven.
It's a familiar and wonderful and true saying of Jesus.
And so many think,
this must be what Jesus is talking about
when he uses the same language in Luke's gospel
about putting a lamp on the lampstand.
No one lights a lamp
and hides it in a clay jar
or puts it under a bed.
Instead, they put it on a stand
so that those who come in can see the light.
For there is nothing hidden
that will not be disclosed
and nothing concealed
that will not be known
or brought out into the open.
Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.
Whoever has will be given more.
Whoever does not have,
even what they think they have,
will be taken from them.
Many interpret these words
as sort of dovetailing in
with what we just read from Matthew's gospel.
And according to this way of reading it,
this passage is about sharing the light of Jesus
with others around us,
letting them see our faith in public
rather than hiding it in private.
Let your lamp shine out brightly
and your faith in Jesus
be known publicly
since all that is hidden now
will eventually be known
and public anyway.
Verse 18 may mean then
that we ought to listen carefully
to God's word that we've received
and act on it
because those who do
will be blessed or rewarded
while those who do not
will lose in the end.
That may well be the right way
to understand these words,
but there's some things
in Luke's gospel here
that make me wonder.
Here in Luke's gospel,
I notice that Jesus doesn't start off
by saying,
you are the light of the world.
Neither does he follow
this lamp analogy up with
in the same way,
let your light shine
before others.
The thing he implores us to do,
rather,
is to consider carefully
how we listen.
And that has to do
with what Jesus
has just been explaining
to his disciples
with this parable of the sower
and the seed
and the soils.
It was all about hearing
and responding
to the word of God.
If this teaching of Jesus here
is all about us
shining the light
and telling others
about Jesus,
then why does Jesus
tell us as the main point
to consider carefully
how we listen?
Why does he follow this up
with a warning
that for some,
even what they think
they have
will be taken away?
There's another way
that Christians
have understood
these words
in Luke.
And it's not
what Jesus said
in the Sermon on the Mount
about letting our light shine.
That's true.
That's absolutely true.
But maybe Jesus
is in a different occasion here
using the same Proverbs
to make a different point.
If we look back
to chapter 8,
verses 9 and 10
for a moment,
remember Jesus
is talking to his disciples.
They're asking about
the meaning of the parable
of the soils.
What does that mean?
And Jesus said to them,
Well, the knowledge
of the secrets
of the kingdom of God
has been given to you.
But to others
I speak in parables
so that though seeing
they may not see,
though hearing
they may not understand.
So the context here
is Jesus explaining
this parable of the sower
to his disciples
and why he uses parables.
And as we look
at that explanation,
what is hidden?
What is it that's hidden?
Well, it's the knowledge
of the secrets
of the kingdom.
We talked about that
a couple weeks ago.
There are hidden truths
about God's purposes,
about the kingdom of God.
And these are the things
that Jesus is teaching.
He's doing it
in parable form,
but then explaining
in private
to his disciples
what these parables mean.
So you can probably
imagine the disciples
wondering
and asking,
Why do you teach
in parables?
Why not just
explain plainly
without the parables
what God has to say
to everyone?
Do you want people
to see
and understand
or not?
Well, it could be
that verse 16
is Jesus' answer
to that question.
No one lights a lamp
and hides it
in a clay jar
or puts it under a bed.
Instead, they put it
on a stand
so that those who come in
can see the light.
Perhaps Jesus
is simply saying
that the goal here
is not to hide
the truth from people.
He has come as light
into the darkness
of our world.
And his teaching
is intended
to illuminate.
It's there
to give knowledge
and understanding.
God has not
sent his Son
into the world
as a light
only to hide
that light
from people.
That would be absurd.
Just like
hiding
a lit lamp
in a jar
or putting it
under a bed.
Rather,
God has sent
Jesus
as the light
to shine
brightly
on the lamp
stand
so that all
who come in
can see the light.
So that the things
that are hidden
may be disclosed
and revealed.
The secrets
of the kingdom
so that they might
be made known
and brought out
into the open.
And therefore,
verse 18,
consider carefully
how you listen.
Personally,
I think this way
of looking at it
makes a little more sense.
At least to me,
it does.
It seems to flow better.
And we notice
in the parable
before this,
the parable
of the sower,
the word of God
was the seed
which fell upon
the ears
and the hearts
of the people.
Jesus was the sower.
Could this be
just a different
analogy to say
the same thing?
Jesus is the lamp
that God has
given
to give the light
of his good news
to a dark world.
and God's purpose
in lighting the lamp,
in sending Jesus
is not to hide things
but to reveal
what is hidden.
To reveal
what we can't see
and know
without his light
of truth.
And therefore,
it's critical
that we listen
to Jesus carefully,
that we pay attention
to his words
and really hear them.
It's the difference
in the parable
of the soils
between that
bumper crop harvest
and getting nothing
from what was sown.
It's the difference
in the analogy
of the lamp
between seeing
and understanding
what is hidden
or continuing
to grope about
in the darkness
blind
and ignorant
to God's mercy
and to his kingdom.
When we come
to verse 18,
whoever has
will be given more.
Whoever does not have
even what they think
they have
will be taken
from them.
I can't help
but see a parallel
here to what
Jesus shared with us
in the parable
of the sower
and the soils.
Remember,
each soil type
mentioned,
the path,
the rocky soil,
the weedy soil,
the good soil.
Each one received
the seed.
Each kind of hearer
had the word of God,
the truth of God
which comes
through Jesus
and yet
there was that
good harvest
from only one
kind of hearer,
the good soil.
Those who hear
and retain
and by persevering
produce a crop.
Well,
what happens
to the others
in that parable?
Well,
this seems to
describe it
in a nutshell,
doesn't it?
Whoever
has
will be given more.
Whoever does not
have,
even what they think
they have
will be taken
from them.
Either the devil
comes and
takes away the word
from their hearts
as with the seed
that fell on the path
or the difficulties
of following Jesus
come and
take away
what they first
believed
and they fall away
or the worries
of life,
greed,
the distractions
of pleasures
in this world
come and
take away
what they had.
they choke
out the word
they heard.
These words,
I think,
are worthy
of meditation.
Even what
they think
they have
will be taken
from them.
That's sobering.
Sort of speaks
of the mindset
of people
who don't
take Jesus'
words seriously.
They think,
perhaps,
that they're
okay with God.
I prayed
the sinner's prayer
when I was a kid.
Or I went up
to the altar
at the call
of the pastor.
Or I believe
in Jesus,
just not like
the crazy
fundamentalist types
do.
Where I go
to church
once in a while,
it's like
there's a sort
of self-deception
whereby people
who do not
have true faith
in Jesus
often think
that they do.
people who
are not
seen clearly
by the light
of Jesus'
words
think that
they are.
Even what
they think
they have
will be
taken from
them.
The Bible
tells us
that one day
when Jesus
returns,
he will sort
out the
goats
from the
true sheep
and the
tares
or the
false wheat
from the
wheat,
the true
disciples
from the
imposters.
One thing
I think
we can all
agree on
as we look
at these
words
is that
that's
in verse
18,
that imperative,
therefore
consider
carefully
how
you
listen,
how
you
hear.
Jesus
said this
to his
disciples.
Imagine
yourself
there in
the room
with Jesus
as he
said all
this.
imagine
Jesus
looking
you
in the
eyes
and
saying
therefore
consider
carefully
how
you
hear.
There
is more
than one
way to
hear
or to
listen
to the
words
of God.
Some
of those
ways
are
disastrous
and they
leave us
self-deceived
and wanting
in the
end.
How
seriously
do you
take
the
words
of
Jesus?
Will
you
rearrange
your
life
and
your
priorities
if
needed
to hear
Jesus'
words
and follow
them?
I was
thinking about
that analogy
of the
lamp
and the
light
and hiding
it
and just
the light
that Jesus
is and
what came
to mind
was a
time this
week when I
was in my
storage room
and I
accidentally
turned
the lights
went off
and all
of a sudden
it was
pitch black
in there.
there's
no windows
at all
in there
and I
got
thinking
about
that.
When
it's
pitch
black
what do
we see?
What do
we experience?
Nothing.
You can't
see anything.
It's just
nothing.
We have
so much
more
by the
light.
We can
see
everything.
All the
stuff that's
there.
God wants
us to
live in
the light
and to
enjoy his
grace.
And that's
why he
has lit
a lamp.
That's
why he
has sent
his son.
Not to
hide the
truth from
us but
to reveal
the truth
to us.
But how
seriously
do we
take the
words of
Jesus?
Would
you
rearrange
your life
and your
priorities
to better
hear and
follow the
words of
Jesus?
Let's
continue on
with
verse 19.
Now
Jesus'
mother and
brothers came
to see
him but
they were
not able
to get
near him
because of
the crowd.
Someone
told Jesus
your mother
and brothers
are standing
outside wanting
to see
you.
Jesus
replied
my mother
and my
brothers
are those
who hear
God's
word
and put
it into
practice.
Imagine
this for a
moment.
You're in
the house
with Jesus
and the
house is
packed
solid with
people.
Everybody
wants to
get near
Jesus.
Everybody
wants to
see what
he's doing
or hear
what he's
saying.
And then
suddenly this
man calls
out,
Jesus,
your mother
and your
brothers
are here.
They're
just
outside.
Who
could be
more
important
than
family,
right?
They
should have
an automatic
VIP seat
in the
house if
they want
it,
right?
What will
Jesus do?
Will he
dismiss the
whole crowd
and then
spend some
time with
them?
Or will
he call
for those
in the
room to
make space
so that
they can
come in
and sit?
Jesus'
response in
this moment
is surprising.
He replies
with this,
my mother
and my
brothers are
those who
hear God's
word and
put it into
practice.
He turns it
into a
teaching moment
and we
never find
out from
Luke whether
Jesus'
mother and
brothers end
up getting
to see him
on this
occasion.
But there's
one piece
of context
here that
might shed
some light
on this.
If we
look at
Mark,
a parallel
account,
chapter 3,
verse 20,
the following,
then Jesus
entered a
house and
again a
crowd gathered
so that
he and
his disciples
were not
even able
to eat.
When his
family heard
about this,
they went
to take
charge of
him for
they said,
he is
out of
his mind.
And then
just 10
verses after
that in
Mark,
we read
this account
of Jesus'
mother and
brothers arriving
to talk
to Jesus.
And so we
kind of get
a little
sense here
of what's
going on
in the
relationship
between
Jesus and
his family
around this
time.
It would
seem that
Jesus'
family,
his mother
and his
brothers,
don't
understand
what's going
on here.
Maybe
they're even
a little
embarrassed
by all the
public
attention
that's coming
to them
and coming
to Jesus.
perhaps
some of
them are
even unsure
about some
of the
things that
Jesus has
been saying.
Maybe some
of his
brothers.
We kind
of notice
in the
context of
Mark,
if we just
look down
the page
a little
bit,
that already
Jesus is
facing major
opposition
from the
Pharisees
and the
teachers of
the law.
They're even
accusing him
already at
this point
of being
possessed
by the
devil.
And what's
Jesus'
mother and
brothers doing?
well,
they're trying
to take
charge of
him,
it says.
At least
some of
them,
probably his
brothers,
are saying,
he's out
of his
mind.
He's not
possessed.
He's gone
insane.
It's not
really the
kind of
support that
you hope
for from
your family
when you
take a
stand for
what's
right and
speak the
truth.
But I
think it
might shed
some light
on what's
happening here
in Luke
chapter 8.
Mark
chapter 3.
We don't
know for
sure,
but perhaps
Jesus'
mother and
brothers have
come again
to try and
take charge
of him,
or at least
let's sit
down and
have a
discussion
as a
family here.
We've got
to talk
some things
through.
Whatever the
case,
Jesus turns
their arrival
into a
teaching moment.
He declares
that his
family,
those who
are kin
to him,
are those
who hear
God's word
and put
it into
practice.
And I
don't think
that we
should read
any disrespect
into those
words from
Jesus towards
his family.
I think if
anybody was
careful to
honor his
mother and
father,
it was
Jesus.
It might
be that
there's some
tension here
between honoring
Jesus'
human mother
and honoring
his heavenly
father.
But I
don't think
that Jesus
is disowning
them,
saying you're
not my
mother and
brothers anymore
or saying
that they
don't matter
to him.
You're not
important to
me anymore.
But what
Jesus is
saying is
that what's
most important,
even more
important maybe
than our
family relationships
is hearing
God's word
and putting
it into
practice.
That's the
chief concern
of Jesus
doing the
will of
his father.
It trumps
everything else.
And not
only is that
Jesus'
priority to
obey the
word of
God and
submit to
his father,
but right
now he's
teaching the
very words
of God to
the people.
And that's
of the utmost
importance,
both to
God and
to the
people.
And if we
just follow
this through,
there are
some people
in the
crowd,
who are
there to
hear the
very word
of God
so that
they can
follow it
and put
it into
practice.
And therefore
some in the
room are
now just
as important
in this
moment to
Jesus as
his own
mom and
brothers.
It's not
that he's
diminishing the
importance of
his family,
but that he's
elevating the
importance of
hearing the
word of God
and putting it
into practice.
that's as
important as
family.
Those who
hear and put
God's word
into practice
are my
family.
This really
fits with
what we've
just been
hearing from
the parable
of the
sower and
the analogy
of the
lamp.
Both of
those things
have been
about hearing
the word
of God
and how
important
that is.
Jesus says
a lot about
that, but
maybe it's
because we
have this
tendency to
underestimate
the importance
of hearing
God's word
and of really
paying attention
to it.
It's like
Jesus is
saying, there
isn't anything
more important
than hearing
and putting
into practice
the word of
God.
It's at,
it's even
above the
level of
family.
It's what
characterizes
the family
of God.
it's also
hard not
to miss
the emphasis
of Jesus
on putting
it into
practice.
That's
something
maybe not
mentioned as
much in
the parables
before.
Those who
hear and
put it
into practice
are the
family of
Jesus.
It suggests
to us that
if we hear
the word
of God
but don't
put it
into
practice,
we fall
short of
the family
of God.
We cannot
claim to
be a
brother or
sister of
Christ or
a fellow
son or
daughter of
God.
In Jesus'
parable of
the sower,
this is
probably the
difference right
here between
those three
soils where
there was no
harvest and
the good
soil where
there was a
great harvest.
All of the
soils had
the seed fall
on them.
All of the
people heard
the word of
God but
only one by
persevering
produced a
crop.
Those who
hear,
and truly
believe the
word of
God will
put it
into
practice.
Those who
hear and
truly believe
the word of
God will
put it into
practice.
It's not
enough just
to hear it.
That in
itself doesn't
result in
salvation.
It doesn't
do anything
for us.
It's not
enough to
just come to
church every
Sunday and
hear the
word of
God,
the words
of Jesus.
We must
put Jesus'
words into
practice.
We must
obey them.
We must
do them.
That's the
evidence that
we truly
believe.
Now don't
misunderstand me.
I'm not
saying we
need to do
good works
in order to
be saved.
To be
saved we
just believe
in Jesus.
No good
works required.
And true
belief in
Jesus will
lead us to
do what
he says.
to obey
his word.
To do
good works.
Is it
your life
goal not
only to
hear the
word of
God but
to do
it?
Is that
the highest
priority in
your life?
To put
God's words
into practice?
If it's
not, what
is the
highest priority
in your
life?
I want
to urge
you this
morning to
examine
yourself and
ask yourself
that question.
I really
do think
that's the
difference
between the
good soil
and the
other soils.
Between
having and
even what
you think
you have
will be
taken from
you.
God's
love.
I don't
know what's
in everyone's
hearts but
Jesus does.
And we
can't, when
it comes to
Jesus, we
can't fake
it till we
make it.
Either we
listen to his
words and in
faith take
them as
truth and put
them into
practice or
we perish.
Am I
really listening
to God?
Am I
really
listening to
Jesus?
Does he
have the
attention of
my heart?
Am I
organizing my
life according
to the
commands and
the priorities
that he
has given?
This is what
it is to be a
child of God,
to be in the
family of God.
This is what
it is to be a
follower of
Jesus.
Now God
knows that we
will not live
perfectly in
perfect obedience
always.
But if we
really believe in
him, if we
really fear him
and love him,
then we will
take him
seriously.
We'll make
every effort to
do what he
says.
His words are
light in the
darkness.
His words reveal
the secrets of
the kingdom of
God.
That great
kingdom that's
soon going to
sweep over
this world
and overshadow
all human
history forever.
Therefore,
consider carefully
how you
listen.
Many of you
hearing this,
I hope and I
pray, are
thinking,
yes, amen.
That's my
life's goal,
to obey the
Lord Jesus
Christ and do
what he says.
And if that's
you, that's a
good indication.
I think that
you are that
good soil.
Soil.
Jesus says
this, whoever
has will be
given more.
So I want to
encourage you, if
that's you, keep
on.
Don't give up.
Let's not grow
weary of doing
good.
For at the
proper time, we
will reap a
harvest.
If we don't
give up, we
will inherit what
has been
promised.
We will receive
that crown of
glory.
The Lord has
promised.
His word is
true.
And he will
bring it to
pass.
We can be
sure of it.
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven, we
thank you that
you have spoken
to us through
your son.
And I pray
that each one
of us
values that so
deeply and
treasures that
so deeply
that we
respond to
it well.
That it's not
just a religion
thing that we
do because
that's what we
grew up with,
but it's a
thing that's
meaningful and
powerful in our
lives that we
are doing this.
We are living
this way because
we know you.
We believe in
you.
We believe your
words.
And it's our
greatest honor and
joy in life to
submit to you
and to follow
you.
For you are a
glorious God.
Work that in
each one of our
hearts, Lord.
Don't let us
deceive ourselves.
We just commit
ourselves to you
in Jesus' name.
Amen.