Luke 8:9-10 meaning

The parallel Gospel accounts for Luke 8:9-10 are Matthew 13:10-13 and Mark 4:10-13.

After sharing the “Parable of the Sower” (Luke 8:4-8), Luke records that Jesus’s disciples approached Him to explain its meaning.

His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant (v 9).

This indicates that when His disciples first heard the “Parable of the Sower,” they did not fully comprehend what it meant. Because His disciples did not understand the meaning of this parable, they began questioning Him about it. 

Mark states that Jesus’s closest disciples—“the twelve”—were among the disciples who asked Jesus about its meaning (Mark 4:10). Moreover, Mark also reports that these disciples were alone with Him when they asked Jesus about what this parable meant. In other words, they did not ask Him about its meaning in front of everyone.  

Before disclosing the meaning of the “Parable of the Sower” to His disciples, Jesus explains that some may understand His parables while others may not. 

Matthew’s narrative gives a more comprehensive answer to this discussion. He includes additional commentary and an extensive quote from Isaiah to demonstrate to his Jewish readership how Jesus’s parabolic teachings were a fulfillment of Jewish prophecy (Matthew 13:10-16) . To learn more about how Jesus’s parables were a fulfillment of Messianic prophecy, see The Bible Says commentary for Matthew 13:10-17. 

Luke’s account considerably condenses what Matthew wrote. He leaves only what would be of interest to his Greek audience, who would have had little knowledge of Jewish scriptures. 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus explains: "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables…" (v 10).

This statement describes two distinct groups of people and utilizes two significant terms. 

The groups are you, pertaining to Jesus's followers (the disciples), and the rest, denoting all others (those who do not follow Jesus). 

The important terms to note are granted to know and mysteries of the kingdom of God. 

The disciples belong to the category who were granted to know. Followers of Jesus had the privilege of understanding the mysteries of the kingdom. The rest includes everyone else—those who do not follow Jesus.  The rest are excluded from comprehending the mysteries of the kingdom.

In the first term granted to know, the word granted is expressed in what linguists refer to as the 'passive' voice. The passive voice denotes that the disciples received the grant, rather than actively pursuing it themselves. 

Moreover, in the Greek language, the verbal expression—granted to know—is in the 'perfect' aspect. The perfect aspect denotes an action that was completed in the past but continues to have ongoing effects into the present and future. Thus, the ‘passive perfect’ use of the term granted suggests that someone or something previously bestowed upon the disciples the ability to comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and that they are presently experiencing the enduring benefits of that by being given the capability to understand Jesus's parables. Conversely, those who did not follow Jesus had not been granted this capacity.

Furthermore, the phrase granted to know makes use of the Greek word "ginosko" for the idea of to know. "Ginosko" is the idea of having an “experiential” or “personal” familiarity; in this case being personally familiar with the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Who or what granted the disciples the ability to attain this “ginosko” understanding?

The predominantly held explanation lies in the notion that it was God who bestowed upon the disciples the ability to grasp His mysteries. It's plausible that God Himself illuminated the disciples' understanding, unveiling the truths embedded within the parables. 

This divine enlightenment could have occurred when God, in His sovereignty, elected and chose the disciples even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Alternatively, this enlightenment might have been granted to the disciples at the precise moment when Jesus beckoned them to follow Him. If so, it implies that those who did not heed Jesus’s call did not receive such enlightenment.

Another explanation suggests that the disciples' hearts were receptive to Jesus's teachings, and this granted their ability to know the meanings behind the parables. Their openness to Jesus and His parables provided a fertile ground for comprehension, which would have been absent in closed-minded or antagonistic individuals. 

Those who resisted Jesus or remained unconvinced harbored closed hearts, incapable of fully grasping His teachings. The closed hearts of the people hindered the grant to understand the depth of Jesus' parables. In contrast, the disciples, with their receptive hearts, were granted to know the mysteries within Jesus’s parables. Their open hearts stemmed from a deliberate choice to pursue truth, guided by the conviction that truth comes from God. 

This interpretation, which suggests that the ability to know the mysteries of God is based upon the choice to open-heartedly seek God’s truth, aligns with Jesus's "Parable of the Sower” which He just taught in Luke 8:4-8, and will further explain in Luke 8:11-15.

Both of these interpretations can hold true. The Bible declares God as sovereign over all things, while also affirming the reality of human choices and their consequential outcomes.

The notion that both interpretations are true can seem like a paradox since it equates God's sovereign granting with the disciples' active choice. From a human standpoint, reconciling these two truths seems incomprehensible. Comparably, our human perspective makes it difficult to comprehend how God is both One and Three; how Jesus is described as fully divine and fully human; or how as the "I AM," God is the essence of existence, yet He is also the creator of all that exists. The 'passive' voice and the 'perfect' aspect in the concept of being granted reflects the Biblical paradox of God's sovereignty coexisting with human freedom and responsibility for their choices.

The second term in this passage worthy of exploration is the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is a focal point in Jesus's ministry (Luke 8:1).

The Jewish equivalent of this expression—is “kingdom of heaven.” The terms kingdom of God and “kingdom of heaven” essentially describe the same prophetic reality in different cultural connotations. 

When a Jew thought of the kingdom, he likely envisioned the Messianic kingdom. As the awaited Messiah from the lineage of David, Jesus held the position of King. His teachings consistently revolved around the theme of the kingdom of heaven, whether through preaching (Matthew 4:17), instructing (Matthew 5-7), or conveying truths through parables (Matthew 13).

For the Greeks who were Luke’s primary audience, the term—kingdom of God—likely connoted a perfect political harmony governed and ruled by God. The Greeks had been dreaming of the perfect city-state centuries before Paul began his missionary journeys to Greek cities and islands surrounding the Aegean Sea. Plato’s “Republic” and “Laws” and Aristotle’s “Politics” are some of the most famous examples of their vision. Jesus’s term the kingdom of God would have resonated with the Greeks as the fulfillment of this harmonious hope and dream. 

To learn more about these terms, see The Bible Says article: “The Kingdom of Heaven vs. the Kingdom of God.”

The Greek term for mystery is "mysterion." It something concealed or hidden, often of a divine nature. Those who chose not to follow Jesus, found that the kingdom of God remained shrouded in mystery, its workings were secret and unknown. Yet, to His disciples—those who followed Jesus—the mysteries of the kingdom of God were unveiled. As they listened to His parables, the disciples were granted insights into the kingdom. Conversely, those who did not follow Jesus were not afforded the same level of understanding. The meaning of the parables, like the kingdom itself, remained mysterious and hidden from them.

It is crucial to acknowledge the multifaceted nature of the kingdom of God. Being eternal, it exists both in the present and the future. It transcends earthly realms while also promising to exist on Earth. It is accessible to Jesus's followers in the present life, and when the kingdom is fully established, the faithful will be given rulership over it. It covers both the temporal and the eternal realms. The mysteries of the kingdom have significance in both spiritual and literal dimensions. 

Jesus continued to address the disciples' inquiry by contrasting their given grant to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God to the rest who do not follow Jesus and therefore do not receive this “ginosko” understanding. In essence, those with receptive hearts are granted deeper understanding. As comprehension grows, so does their capacity to grasp more until they abound in wisdom. Conversely, the opposite holds true of those who do not follow Jesus. 

Jesus references Isaiah 6:9-10 when he speaks of the rest receiving his teaching in parables, so that in seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand (v 10b). Those lacking openness to understanding not only remain deprived of enlightenment but also risk losing and distorting whatever little insight they initially possessed.

Despite seeing miracles attesting to Jesus as the Messiah, they failed to recognize the signs. Despite hearing parables illustrating the kingdom of God, they remained deaf to its foundational truths and ignorant of its mysteries. Because their eyes and ears do not see and hear, their minds are confused, and consequently their hearts will not repent (which would be the proper response). The account of this parable in Mark further explains that if the rest were given the capacity to see and hear, “they might return and be forgiven” (Mark 4:12).

At the core lies the heart. God has structured His kingdom so that human hearts tend to find what they earnestly seek (Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 6:19-21, 6:32; Titus 1:15). Thus, safeguarding our hearts becomes paramount (Proverbs 4:23). It's not solely about understanding; rather, it's a heart reverent toward the LORD, yearning to please Him, that ushers one into the kingdom of God:

"Make your ear attentive to wisdom;
Incline your heart to understanding.
For if you cry out for insight,
And raise your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And discover the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
(Proverbs 2:2-6)