THE SEED OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Luke 8:1-15
Key Verse 8:15
* The good news of the kingdom of God (1-3)
1. To what does "After this" refer? What did Jesus do after this? What was his main message? What do you think this means?
(Compare Mk 1:15; Lk 17:21)
2. Who traveled around with Jesus? What kind of men were the twelve? (6:12-16; 5:1-11,27,28) What can we learn here about the women who followed? How did they serve Jesus and the twelve?
* The secrets of the kingdom of God (11-15)
3. What parable did Jesus tell as the crowd gathered? What is the seed (1, 11) What are the 4 different heart soils into which the seed of the kingdom fall, and what were the results in each?
(Think about how the kingdom of God grows in one's heart (Mk 4:26-29: Ro 5:3,4)
4. What did Jesus' disciples ask him? What did he say about his purpose in using parables? How did the question from Isaiah 6:9 comfort Jesus? What can we learn about the kingdom of God?
* The seed of the kingdom of God (11-15)
5. What kind of soil is the path? What happens to seed that falls there? What kind of heart soil does this represent? What happens to the seed of the kingdom of God falling there?
6. What is rocky soil? What kind of heart soil does this represent? Why does the kingdom seed which falls on this soil not produce a crop? What kind of person falls away in the time of testing? Think about this in the time of Isaiah 55:8?
7. What does the seed that fell among thorns stand for? What does this seed not mature? How can the thorns be removed? (Mt 6:33)
9. What can we learn from this parable and Jesus' explanation about how the kingdom of God grows within us?