Luke 8:12

12 Those by the side of the road are those who have given hearing; then the Evil One comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not have faith and get salvation.

Luke 8:12 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 8:12

Those by the wayside are they that hear
The word of God, though only by accident, and very carelessly, and without understanding what they hear:

then cometh the devil;
signified by the fowls of the air:

and taketh away the word out of their hearts,
or memories; that little of it, which is retained there, and diverts their minds from it by other objects; so that they quite forget what they have heard;

lest they should believe, and be saved:
this clause is only in Luke; and with it may be compared ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 ) for with true faith in Christ the sum and substance of the word salvation is connected; and Satan being an enemy to the salvation of souls, does all he can to hinder their faith in him.

Luke 8:12 In-Context

10 And he said, To you is given knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to the others, they are given in stories, so that seeing, they may not see, and though they give hearing, the sense will not be clear to them.

11 Now this is the point of the story: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the side of the road are those who have given hearing; then the Evil One comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not have faith and get salvation.

13 And those on the rock are those who with joy give hearing to the word; but having no root, they have faith for a time, and when the test comes they give up.

14 And those which went among thorns are those who have given hearing, and go on their way, but they are overcome by cares and wealth and the pleasures of life, and they give no fruit.