Chapter 45

Everybody Ought to Know

“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.” (Luke 8:16-21)

When I attended Sunday School as a boy, the children often sang…

“Everybody ought to know,

Everybody ought to know,

Every body ought to know

Who Jesus is!

He’s the Lily of the Valley!

He’s the Bright and Morning Star!

He’s the Fairest of ten thousand!

Everybody ought to know!”

      That is exactly what our Savior tells us in Luke 8:16-21. If we would interpret these verses properly we must keep them in their context. Our Lord has just given and explained the parable of the sower. Here he is making a very practical application of that parable to us. The things here written for our learning and admonition are intended to nail down and fix in our minds this mighty lesson. — That which God teaches us by his grace we are to proclaim to others.

There are three great, weighty, important things taught in these short, simple verses of Holy Scripture. May God the Holy Spirit, whose Word we have before us, write these things upon our hearts by his grace.

Our Responsibility

First, our Master here teaches us that it is our responsibility to proclaim abroad the gospel we have learned by divine revelation.

“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad” (vv. 16-17).

No one lights a candle to hide it. The reason for lighting the candle is that it may be held forth to diffuse its light. Whenever we read or hear these words from the lips of our Savior, we ought first to think of ourselves. God has revealed the gospel to us for the saving of our souls. How we ought to rejoice in that and thank him for it! But he has also given us the gospel as a trust. He has put the light of divine truth into our hands so that we might carry it forth into this world of darkness for the salvation of other chosen, redeemed sinners. God did not give us the knowledge of his Son, his grace and his salvation, so that we might simply profess it, admire it and discuss it, but that we might proclaim it.

The gospel is a talent, a treasure, committed to our hands, with which we have been entrusted. That trust brings with it a great weight of responsibility. It is the responsibility of every believer, every local church and every gospel preacher to proclaim the gospel of Christ, to make Christ known in the generation in which they live (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 9:16; Ephesians 3:8).

When we hear or read these words (vv. 16-17) falling from the lips of our dear Savior, we ought to also think of others. We live in a world of darkness. The multitudes around us, in our homes, in our communities, around the nation and around the world, are perishing for want of knowledge. Behold the peoples of the world. Get them fixed in your heart. They are without God, without Christ, without hope!

Is there nothing we can do for them? Indeed there is something we can and must do for them. We must hold forth in this dark world the light of the gospel, with fervency, earnestness, and zeal (Romans 9:1-3; 10:1; 2 Corinthians 5:10-14). I fully agree with J. C. Ryle, who wrote, “The highest form of selfishness is that of a man who is content to go to heaven alone. The truest charity is to endeavor to share with others every spark of religious (gospel) light we possess ourselves, and so hold forth our own candle that it may give light to everyone around us.” God never lights a candle that it may burn alone!

In verse 17 our Lord is declaring that the gospel must and shall be preached in all the world. Remember the context. Though in the Day of Judgment all things shall be brought to light, in the sense that God will cause all men to see clearly what he has done, this is not a declaration that God is going to show the world all our inmost secret thoughts. Our Lord is here telling his disciples that the things then hidden and spoken in parables would be openly proclaimed in this gospel day by them, by his church and by faithful gospel preachers in all succeeding ages (Matthew 24:14).

Hearing the Word

Second, our Lord teaches us in verse 18 that we must take heed how we hear the gospel. — “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” I dealt with this admonition extensively in the previous chapter. So I will say much here. But we must not fail to heed this word of instruction. The degree to which we will benefit from the ministry of the Word depends greatly upon the way we hear it. Going to church and hearing sermons will do us no good, unless we hear right. If we would hear the Word of God right, we must lay to heart these four simple rules for hearing it.

1.    Be sure that what you hear is the Gospel. – Like the noble Bereans, search the Scriptures and see for yourself that the things you hear from the pulpit and the things written in the Book of God are the same.

2.    Hear the Word of God as the Word of God, with reverence.

3.    Be sure you hear the gospel with implicit faith, not as the word of man, but as the Word of God (Hebrews 4:1-2).

4.    Hear the Word with prayer, praying for God to bless it to your own soul, making personal application of it to yourself.

God’s Family

Third, in verses 19-21, we are taught that those, and those only, who hear and obey the gospel are the family of God.

“Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.”

What blessed privileges are ours in Christ! The person who hears the Word of God and does it is the sinner who hearing the gospel call comes to Christ. The Master says, “believe on me,” and we believe. He says, “repent,” and we repent. He says, “follow me,” and we follow. Without question, to obey the gospel will bring a man or woman great trouble. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is to take up your cross and follow him. It is to enlist in an army, to engage in combat with the world, the flesh and the devil. But the privileges far outweigh, infinitely outweigh, the costs (Romans 8:17-18; 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9).

Let us make it our business to do what we can in this our day for the furtherance of the gospel and the salvation of God’s elect. Let us ever take heed how we hear the Word of God. And let us ever hold before our hearts and minds the great privileges that are ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Don Fortner

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