Inside or Outside?
Reflective Reading: Luke 8
Today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite chapters in the Bible—Luke chapter 8. It all starts with the unusual record of several women who have been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. One of them is married, whose husband works for King Herod. These women are not only following Jesus along with his twelve disciples, but they are also supporting them from their own finances (vs 3). This group defies all cultural norms.
Why does the Bible give us this record? Let’s find out.
Immediately after the women followers are mentioned, Jesus teaches on “The Parable of the Sower.” At the end of the parable, he gives a call to action, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This phrase is connected to the Old Testament practice of a servant having his ear pierced to show that he was surrendering his life completely to his master.
In “The Parable of the Sower” Jesus presents four kinds of soil, representing four types of people. The first three hear the Word of God, but they neglect what they hear and experience immeasurable loss. The fourth hears the Word of God and brings forth fruit. The focus of Jesus’s teaching is on the words “hear” and “Word.” In verses four through twenty-one, these words are repeated fourteen times.
What he says next will connect the ideas of “hearing the Word” with his next emphasis on “doing.”
“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light” (16-17).
After repeating the words “hear” and “Word” fourteen times, Jesus now challenges his listeners to make known what they’ve heard—“so that they which enter in may see the light.”
Everything seems to fit so far. I get it. We are to hear the Word of God and then share what we’ve heard. Seems clear. But this teaching cannot be taken lightly. Hearing his Word comes with a warning:
“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” (vs 18).
This is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible! The warning is clear—“take care” or “take heed” to “how” you hear. When we hear the Word of God, we are then responsible to share it. When we do, God will give us more to share, more to understand, and more people to bring into his family. BUT, if we hide what we have heard, then even what we “thought” we had, will be taken away…the knowledge, insights, and opportunities will be lost.
Lastly, Dr. Luke closes this section with a grand finale! Everything that has been taught so far will now be illustrated with Jesus’s own family—even his mother.
“Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.’ But he answered them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’”
Woah! Did you hear that? What an ending! Note that his mother and brothers were ‘outside.’ From all appearances, they were unwilling to join Jesus and follow him. They wanted Jesus to come with them. This is the moment that Jesus would bring everything he was teaching to a climax. Jesus was teaching what it really means to follow him; what it really means to hear the Word of God and do it; what it really means to have “ears to hear”—like the servant who had his ear pierced to demonstrate complete loyalty; what it really means to be like the women in the beginning of this chapter who sacrificed so much to follow him. What a contrast to his mother and brothers who were “outside.”
Among Jesus’s family members was his half-brother, James. The text says that his mother and brothers were trying to get him to come back with them. They thought he had lost his mind (see Mark 3:20-35). However, what James heard that day may have been the defining moment of his life. What we know about James is that he went on to become the first pastor of the church at Jerusalem. He also wrote the book of James in the New Testament, and eventually paid the ultimate price of dying for his faith. One of his main texts known throughout Christendom is:
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).
This is what Jesus was teaching that day. And he taught it with emotion and power. The text said that “he cried out” when he spoke this parable. He wanted to make sure everyone heard it and then saw it being demonstrated with the women and men who were with him on the “inside” and his mother and brothers on the “outside.” Everything about that day was a heralding invitation to follow Jesus; to hear the Word of God, obey it, and share it with others.
If you want to follow Jesus then there are requirements. You must be a loyal servant, sacrificial, a bearer of fruit, a light, and one who shares what he’s heard. To do otherwise is “deceiving your own selves.” To do likewise, you will receive more knowledge of God, more opportunities, more blessings, more fruit, and more people who will want to be on the “inside.”
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
A Faith That Is My Own (Ages 6+)
My Mates and I (Ages 9+)
Dashed to Pieces book/dramatic audio (Ages 12+)
Dwell Deep (Ages 12+)
