Posts
"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."
Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."
Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"
- Luke 8:16-25
In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the parable of the Sower. The Gospel tells us that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalane, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. 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 a crop, a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 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. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."
"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." The Gospel teaches us about our faith. Jesus has just finished preaching about how we hear, how we take in the word of God, and what we do with it in our lives -- hearing it "with a noble and good heart", keeping that word and bearing fruit with patience. Here Jesus expands on the light of the word, the lamp that is lit in our hearts through His word. My study bible tells us that "taking heed to hear Jesus, the Word of God, brings light within the soul. It must not be covered but allowed to shine forth. The more one permits God's light to shine, the more light is given." This is an awesome thing to contemplate! Jesus has said elsewhere, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you." So my study bible teaches us about the light of Jesus' word: to everyone who has, more will be given.
Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." My study bible points out that Luke doesn't tell us why Jesus' family wanted to see Him. It says, "His brothers are either stepbrothers, sons of Joseph by a previous wife (the opinion of some early Church Fathers), or other relatives." Across the Near and Middle East, the term "brothers" is still widely used for cousins and other extended family. It may be lost on us that Jesus here isn't necessarily putting down His family at all; rather, as my study bible puts it, "Jesus declares His true family is a spiritual one -- those who hear and do God's word." He's making a point. It is Luke's Gospel that tells us that His mother accepts and does God's word, but Jesus is extending His family to all of us, to each of us, should we be like her. We too may become a part of His family, the door is open to us.
Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!" My study bible notes, "In the most difficult moments of life, faith unites us with Christ and gives us His strength and comfort." Of course, as often happens, the questions of those who are perplexed are the right questions being asked: who commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him?" Jesus' point, however, is not His power nor the revelation of the qualities of God, but the essential and crucial importance of faith. It is the "one thing necessary."
As we continue through Luke's Gospel, we see the progress of this ministry. At first we read of Jesus' fame as it grew. He was rejected in His hometown of Nazareth and could do no great works there. Last week, we read that after having prayed all night, Jesus chose the twelve Apostles. And in yesterday's reading, Jesus began preaching in parables, as the crowds have grown so large there is now a new priority: who are those who have "ears to hear?" Today His teachings take us into a deeper level of our responsibility for what we hear, and as they are spoken to the disciples themselves, they take us into a place where we begin to understand more truly our own responsibility not only for what we hear, but for what happens with what we hear -- how we bear that word of God into our lives. It's compared to a lamp that gives much light: it's not to be hidden but placed upon a lampstand. Moreover, "whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." That is, more light, and more spiritual fruit will be added to what we bear already. There is a great power in His words, and it reaches down into each one of us. He's really speaking directly to each one of us now, and what is in our hearts -- which runs so deeply that it is extended into family, His family. When we hear that word, and keep it in our hearts, when we live in accordance with it, we become also His mother and brothers. And then there is, finally, the episode on the boat, where the disciples fear they are drowning while He sleeps. This is an episode suggestive of the fears that might overtake us in life, when we feel that we are drowning with troubles, and cares, and especially with frightful worries. How then do we bear the word of God? How do we hear and keep it? There is the one thing necessary through all things, and Jesus goes right to the heart of it: "Where is your faith?" The bond within us that makes our lamps shine, that gives us more light, more of the word to carry throughout our lives, and fruit to bear (as in yesterday's parable of the Sower) -- that one place that relates us and makes us family to Christ -- is in our faith, the unbreakable bond. Let us remember that "whoever has, to him more will be given." Like the grain of mustard seed (which we'll read later on in Luke's Gospel), this saying also applies to our faith.
