Luke 8:4-15 presets Luke’s version of the parable of the four soils. Most readers of this blog are familiar with this parable that the Lord taught. One of the differences between Luke’s version and Mark’s is found in Luke 8:8. Mark says that good soil produces a crop of thirty, sixty or a hundredfold (Mark 4:8). Luke simply says a hundredfold.
From what I understand, such a harvest was unheard of. No farmer in the first century would expect a crop like that. None had ever experienced one. The point of the parable is that the faithful believer who looks forward to and works for the coming kingdom will be rewarded far beyond anything they can imagine. Luke doesn’t play around. He mentions only the greatest quantity that the Lord laid out.
If we could put this in modern terms, Jesus is teaching that some believers will be the Elon Musks in His kingdom. They will be fabulously rich and powerful.
But who will they be? We know from the parable that they will be those who endure opposition because of their allegiance to the Lord. They will be those who do not live for this world, but the world to come. In a word, they will be believers who love the Lord and His kingdom.
When we contemplate the magnitude of these eternal riches and power, we probably think we could not possibly be included in such a group. Just as a farmer in the first century could never imagine a hundredfold crop, we are tempted to believe that the Lord is describing other folks. These people will be the famous Christian leaders we read about in the news who have successful ministries, write best-selling books, and have PhDs after their names.
But if we look at the context a little more closely, Luke tells us that is not the way it’s going to be. Immediately before this parable, Luke introduces us to four women.
The first is a notorious sinner (7:36-50). She comes to the Lord and washes His feet with her tears and her hair. She does this even though she faces ridicule from all those present. She then anoints the Lord with expensive perfume at great cost to herself.
The Lord says she did what she did because she “loved much” (7:47)––she loved Him. But her actions also showed that she did not love the things in this world.
Luke then tells us about three more women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna (8:1-3). Mary had been full of demons, and the Lord delivered her from them. Joanna evidently was privileged enough to move in circles of political power. But she left such privilege behind to follow Christ. We know nothing about Susanna.
What these women had in common was that they loved the Lord. They gave of their time and financial resources to be near Him and to meet the needs of the Lord and His disciples. Even after His death, Mary and Joanna are seen serving Him at His tomb (24:9-10). Luke mentions that “other women” were at the tomb as well. I think that included Susanna.
It seems to me that by mentioning these three woman immediately after talking about the woman who anointed Christ’s feet, Luke wants us to see them in the same light. They didn’t care what the world thought, or how costly it was. They wanted to serve the Lord. Why? Because they too “loved much.” They loved Him. They looked forward to His coming kingdom and did not love the things of this world.
The world did not esteem them. The world thought they were fools. But in the Lord’s view, they had good and noble hearts (8:15). Surely, they are an example for us.
What kind of spiritual farmer will have an inconceivably large harvest in the kingdom? Who will be the Elon Musks of that world?
Luke is telling us: people like these four women farmers. When it comes to a harvest in the eternal kingdom of Christ, they looked like very successful farmers. They were planting seeds for eternal rewards.
We can be like them.
