From: Luke 8:16-18
Parable of the Sower. The Meaning of the Parables (Continuation)
(Jesus told the crowd,) [16] "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with
a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who
enter may see the light. [17] For nothing is hid that shall not be made
manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.
[18] Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be gi-
ven, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be
taken away."
Commentary:
[There is no commentary available for Luke 8:16-18. The commentary
for the same parable found in Mark 4:21-25 states:]
16-17. This parable contains a double teaching. Firstly, it says that
hrist's doctrine should not be kept hidden; rather, it must be preached
throughout the whole world. We find the same idea elsewhere in the
Gospels: "What you hear whispered, proclaim it upon the housetops"
(Mt 10:27); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole
of creation..." (Mk 16:15). The other teaching is that the Kingdom which
Christ proclaims has such ability to penetrate all hearts that, at the end
of time, when Jesus comes again, not a single human action, in favor or
against Christ, will not become public or manifest.
24-25. Our Lord never gets tired of asking the Apostles, the seed which
will produce the Church, to listen carefully to the teaching he is giving:
they are receiving a treasure for which they will be held to account. "To
him who has will more be given...": he who responds to grace will be
given more grace and will yield more and more fruit; but he who does
not will become more and more impoverished (cf. Mt 25:14- 30). There-
fore, there is no limit to the development of the theological virtues: "If
you say 'Enough,' you are already dead" (St. Augustine, "Sermon" 51).
A soul who wants to make progress in the interior life will pray along
these lines: "Lord, may I have due measure in everything, except in
Love" (J. Escriva, "The Way", 427).
[The commentary for still another similar parable found in Matthew 13:
12 states:]
12. Jesus is addressing his disciples and explaining to them that, pre-
cisely because they have faith in him and want to have a good grasp of
his teaching, they will be given a deeper understanding of divine truths.
But those who do not "follow him" (cf. note on Mt 4:18-22) will later lose
interest in the things of God and will grow even blinder: it is as if the
little they have is being taken away from them.
This verse also helps us understand the meaning of the parable of the
sower, a parable which gives us a wonderful explanation of the super-
natural economy of divine grace: God gives grace, and man freely res-
ponds to that grace. The result is that those who respond to grace
generously receive additional grace and so grow steadily in grace and
holiness; whereas those who reject God's gifts become closed up
within themselves; through their selfishness and attachment to sin they
eventually lose God's grace entirely. In this verse, then, our Lord gives
a clear warning: with the full weight of His divine authority He exhorts
us--without taking away our freedom--to act responsibly: the gifts God
keeps sending us should yield fruit; we should make good use of the
opportunities for Christian sanctification which are offered us in the
course of our lives.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries".
Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate.
Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University
of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin,
Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from from Four Courts Press and Scepter
Publishers, the U.S. publishers.