“What Does This Parable Mean?” (Luke 8:9-18)

"Then His disciples asked Him, saying, 'What does this parable mean?' And He said, 'To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

"Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand."(Isaiah 6:9)

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation (or testing) fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience (or endurance)."

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

The mysteries of the kingdom of God are only mysteries because of one's hardness of heart (wayside ground), one's discounting of the cost (rocky ground), or one's desire for the world's supposed comforts (thorny ground) when hearing and keeping His words with endurance and perseverance is the way. Jesus informs His disciples that God wants to reveal the mysteries (secret or hidden truths) of the kingdom of God; but the hearers must "take heed how they hear it". His disciples, at every revelation from God regarding Jesus Christ, turn themselves toward it!  They asked, "What does this parable mean?", while the rest of the listeners went about justifying themselves.