Luke 8:12

8:12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil ¹  comes and takes away the word ²  from their hearts, so that they may not believe ³  and be saved.

Luke 8:14-15

8:14 As for the seed that ⁴  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ⁵  as they go on their way they are choked ⁶  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ⁷  and their fruit does not mature. ⁸  8:15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing ⁹  the word, cling to it ¹⁰  with an honest and good ¹¹  heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. ¹² 

Luke 17:10

17:10 So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; ¹³  we have only done what was our duty.’” ¹⁴ 

¹ sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for the devil here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Mark 4:15 has “Satan.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.

² sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.

³ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") has been translated as a finite verb here. It may be regarded as an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance. From a logical standpoint the negative must govern both the participle and the finite verb.

⁴ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁶ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

⁷ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

⁸ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

⁷ tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.

⁸ sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.

⁹ sn In an ancient context, the qualifier good described the ethical person who possessed integrity. Here it is integrity concerning God’s revelation through Jesus.

¹⁰ sn Given the pressures noted in the previous soils, bearing fruit takes time (steadfast endurance), just as it does for the farmer. See Jas 1:2-4.

¹⁰ tn Some translations describe the slaves as “worthless” (NRSV) or “unworthy” (NASB, NIV) but that is not Jesus’ point. These disciples have not done anything deserving special commendation or praise (L&N 33.361), but only what would normally be expected of a slave in such a situation (thus the translation “we have only done what was our duty”).

¹¹ tn Or “we have only done what we were supposed to do.”