Luke 8:9-15

The Purpose of the Parables

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,

10 he said, ¹"To you it has been given to know ²the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so ³that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'

11 ⁴Now the parable is this: The seed is ⁵the word of God.

12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not ⁶believe and be saved.

13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it ⁷with joy. But these have no root; they ⁸believe for a while, and in time of testing ⁹fall away.

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but ¹⁰as they go on their way they are choked by the ¹¹cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and ¹²bear fruit ¹³with patience.

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 19:11; Colossians 1:27; [1 Corinthians 2:6-10; 1 John 2:20, 27]; See Matthew 11:25
• 2. See Romans 16:25
• 3. Isaiah 6:9, 10; See Matthew 13:13
• 4. For ver. 11-15, see Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20
• 5. Luke 1:2; Mark 2:2; Mark 4:33; Acts 8:4; James 1:21
• 6. See Mark 16:16
• 7. [Isaiah 58:2; Ezekiel 33:31, 32; Mark 6:20; John 5:35]
• 8. Galatians 1:6; [Hosea 6:4; Galatians 5:7]
• 9. 1 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 3:12
• 10. [James 1:11]
• 11. See Matthew 6:25
• 12. Hosea 14:8; John 15:5, 6; Philippians 1:11; Colossians 1:6
• 13. James 5:7; See Hebrews 10:36