October 2 – Luke 8:16-21

Luke 8:16-21 – A Lamp; Jesus’ Family.

In the previous parable, Jesus spoke of responding to the word of God and thus producing a good crop. Now, Jesus writes of a lamp that has been lit.

This lamp is the person who has heard God’s word and responded to it. This is not a passive action at all. Putting it on a stand doesn't mean that we are to stand around and look pretty. No, a lamp sitting on a stand is a person who lives as though they have responded to God’s word. The work of a lamp is to provide light. The work of a Christian is to live their lives in service to God’s kingdom. The light-bearer has a great responsibility to the world.

Luke 8:17 isn't necessarily about a person’s inner secrets, but is more about the secrets of the Kingdom. A person who bears God’s light points to the end, when all secrets will be revealed and God’s purpose is also revealed to humanity. As Christians, we are privileged to know the secrets of the kingdom. We know what God’s desire for humanity is and how he will bring it to pass. We know and understand love. It is our responsibility to expose that through our lives to the world.

In the passage regarding Jesus’ family (Luke 8:19-21), he continues to emphasize the importance of God’s word and those who take it in and then respond to it. Mary’s importance in the scheme of things wasn't just because she gave birth to Jesus, but even more than that, because she had faith in God. The faith that she exhibited in her encounters with the angel and then the life she lived as part of the band that traveled with Jesus and stayed close through his death and resurrection made her as much a part of his family as you or I.

We are all accepted into the family of Jesus Christ because of our response to the good news.