READ: Luke 8:16-18: Let then that you listen carefully, 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.
With many hearers, the seed of the Gospel finds no good soil, but is lost. What purpose does the proclamation of the Gospel serve, then, if it is not accepted after all?
Jesus sheds light on this with a new parable. It is the Lord Himself who wants this Gospel to be spread in order to bring people to repentance and redeem them. Therefore, that light must not be restrained or extinguished. He compares it with a lamp that gives light in the darkness so that you can find your way. Surely you do not dim it because the light is not welcome everywhere? Then that lamp has no function at all.
The Lord Jesus must continue with His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, even though the majority will reject Him. This also applies today with regard to preaching, evangelism, and missions. The Word must be proclaimed without alteration, even though it meets resistance among many.
A great responsibility rests upon preachers: they must bring God’s Word purely, clearly, and without avoiding controversy, whether it is convenient or inconvenient (2 Tim. 4:2). There is likewise a great responsibility on the part of the recipients, the hearers. Jesus says to them: Listen carefully—namely, reverently, with a desire to hear the good news and take it into your heart. But also reverently and carefully: it is the Word of God!
That Word will not return empty or fruitless (Isa. 55:11). It accomplishes what God intends to accomplish, namely, either a blessing or a curse.
The blessing is that the believer who joyfully receives and obeys this Word will receive the good that is promised in that Word: redemption, perseverance, and eternal life.
The curse is that the hearer who does not truly receive the Word and does not live by it brings God’s punishment upon himself. He thinks he can get away with it, but ultimately he will have to undergo God’s judgment, thereby losing everything he had imagined he possessed.
Do you see your own responsibility? How?
Sing: Ps. 36:3