Day One Luke 8:4-8
4 ”One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 ‘A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!’ When he had said this, he called out, ‘Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.’” Luke 8:4-8 (NLT)
Discover
1. What type of story did Jesus tell the large crowd?
2. What happens to the different types of seeds?
3. Who does Jesus say should hear His story?
Respond
The culture that Jesus taught was a culture in which storytelling was used to understand deeper truths about God and the world. Jesus was the greatest teacher and storyteller. The story He tells here follows ancient agricultural practices. Because Jesus knew His audience, He was able to tell a story that would have hit the listeners’ ears in a very practical way. Though the deeper truth of this parable comes later in this passage, what we see is that Jesus cares about revealing the mysteries of His Kingdom through language we can understand. Spend some time in prayer thanking Him that He has revealed the Kingdom of God to us through His Word.
For Further Learning: How to Read the Bible: Parables of Jesus
For Families with Kids at Home
What does the soil of your kids' hearts look like right now? Pray today for the soil of your kids' hearts. Pray that they would not become cynical or hard-hearted by the ways of the world, and ask God for a good opportunity to have conversations with your kids about how their hearts are doing.
*TPCC does not necessarily endorse all For Further Reading/Learning sources. They are simply meant to be a helpful tool.