The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 213

ln which the seed le sown: the wayside, where the 11eed is trodden .\own and devoured by the fowls; the rock, or stony places, where the seed springs up, but eoon withere through want of moisture; the Uwrny ground, where the seed and the thol'Illl grow together, and the thorns choke the seed; and the good ground, where the seed springs up and beare a hundredfold. These places are identified (vers. 12-16) with closeee of hearers. There are the wayside hearers-those in whom there ie no mental exercise on that which they bear, whose minds are thoroughfares for all sorts of thought. And what folJom;? As soon a.s they hear, the devil comes-eowe impish fancy or distracting influence, and takes away the word. "I never heard a sermon," said a man, who for years attended church, "I attended, but, whilst you were speaking, I reviewed the last week's task and arranged for the next." There are the rocky-place heare,·a-those who hear with interest, with emotion; you can see the response to the word in the anima- tion of the countenance, in the tokens of lively feeling. But the message does not gra~p the character, the centr<'s of the life remain unchanged, and thus "in time of temptation they fa.JI away." There are the thorny-ground hearers-those who have heard and yielded to the truth, but the busy, care-crowded, or pleasure-seeking world is waiting for them; the seed is not altogether lost, but the mind is choked with alien interests or pursuits. The poet Robert Burns compares himself to a lonely man walking where fragments of marble columna lie on the ground, overgrown by rank, tall weeds. 'rhere are the good~~oil, hearers-those in whom the earnest longing to know, to do, God's truth is a preparation for the word; who, having heard, hide the word in the heart, and patiently and habitually submit to it, and, through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, bring forth fruit abundantly. To which of these types of hearers does each of us belong? Oh the responsibility of hearing! Note the distinction, in ver. 18, between those who have and those who seem to have, or think they have. What is the warning? Whoso only thinks that he has, or is content with the appearance of having, is losing his possession. The life is really moving on other lines than those laid down in the word. The power of reception is diminishing: "Whosoever bath not, from him shall be taken even that which he thinketh he bath." "Take heed therefore 'Jww ye hear." It is the manner of hearing that is the main thing-the motive, the desire, the extent to which the heart and the soul are engaged whilst hearing. Persons are apt to blame the speaker, to lay the want of effect at his door. It may be so; no doubt it often is so. But what of these persons themselves? Let each examine himself. Eloquence, it has been said, is in the aud.ience; and, undoubtedly, the sympathy of the audience has much to do with the power of the utterance. Christ reminds us that, where there is failure, the hearer at lea8t divides the blame. He reminds us, too, that the life declares the quality of the hearing. Vera. 16, 17, "For nothing is hid, that shall not be made manifest; nor anything secret, that shall not be known and come to light." IV. THE HELPERS AND THE HINDEREBB IN THE MINISTRY. The tweln are with him. It is their university curriculum. Would to God that all who pass through universities and seminaries realized this curriculum also-" Eye-witnesses first, and then ministers of the Word" I But he has other companions than the apostles ; and the noteworthy thing as to these other companions is that they ministered to him of their substance. " The Son of God," says Godet, "lived by the love of those whom his love had made to J.ive." Who are they ? Women. Three names are singled out. Mary of Magdala., " from whom seven devils bad gone out" ( vide previous section), once passionate, perhaps depraved, in her life; but henceforth the most loving and devoted; the one to whom the risen Saviour first appeared (John :u:.). And with her are named the wife of Herod's steward, and Susanna., of whom nothing is known. "Many others," we are told. But we do not find, a.s Farrar has pointed out, the wives of Peter or of the married apostles; nor yet the mother of our Lord. The ministry of woman to Jesus! There ii, a deep sympathy between the true woman-heart and the Lord; the sell~ aacrificing love so pure and strong in the true woman-heart being the special attraction. Chiistianity ha.s exa.ltoo woman, has raised her position, and purified her influence. But woman h,i,s more than paid back all that she owes to Christianity in respect o! this. Who, indeed, that has been blessed by Christian mother, wife, sister, friend, does nut know that God has created the ministry of his Word male and ~em.ale 1-giviug to the femulc an even more winning beauty and a more spiritually OR. vm. 1-66,] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE.