Section 4
8:4-15 is somewhat different from the record in Matthew 13. Matthew's purpose in recording this parable is to point out how it reveals the king dom life. However, Luke's purpose is to show us that as those who are living in peace, following the Lord, and ministering to Him, we should grow in life.
In Luke 8:5-8 the Lord Jesus tells the parable of the sower; in verses 9 through 15 He explains this parable to His disciples. Verse 8:5a says, "The sower went out to sow his seed." The sower is the Lord Himself, and the seed is the word with the Lord in it as life. In verses 5 through 8 four kinds of soil are mentioned. As we shall see, these kinds of soil signify four conditions of the human heart.
When the disciples questioned the Lord con cerning this parable (v. 9), He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the king dom of God, but to the rest in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand" (v. 10). This verse indicates that God's economy concerning His kingdom was a hidden mystery, a mystery which has been un veiled to the Man-Savior's disciples. Because the nature and character of the kingdom of God are wholly divine and because the elements through