Many Women Minister to Jesus

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and [a]bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and (A)certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and [b]infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, (B)out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for [c]Him from their [d]substance.

The Parable of the Sower(C)

(D)And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded [e]a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, (E)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables(F)

(G)Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the [f]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

(H)‘Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.’

The Parable of the Sower Explained(I)

11 (J)“Now the parable is this: The seed is the (K)word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:1 proclaiming the good news
  2. Luke 8:2 sicknesses
  3. Luke 8:3 NU, M them
  4. Luke 8:3 possessions
  5. Luke 8:8 Lit. fruit
  6. Luke 8:10 secret or hidden truths

The Parable of the Sower(A)

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.(B) The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)(C) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s(D) household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”(E)

His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,(F) but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“‘though seeing, they may not see;
    though hearing, they may not understand.’[a](G)

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.(H) 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:10 Isaiah 6:9