Discovery BoxLuke 8:12-13 
Context8:12 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. 8:13 Those 4 on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, 5 but 6 in a time of testing 7 fall away. 8
Luke 8:15
Context8:15 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 22:61
Context22:61 Then 13 the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, 14 how he had said to him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”
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 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
5 sn This time of temporary faith represented by the description believe for a while is presented rather tragically in the passage. The seed does not get a chance to do all it can.
6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
7 tn Traditionally, “temptation.” Such a translation puts the emphasis on temptation to sin rather than testing of faith, which is what the context seems to indicate.
8 sn Fall away. On the idea of falling away and the warnings against it, see 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 3:12; Jer 3:14; Dan 9:9.
9 tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.
10 sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.
11 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.
12 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.
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
14 tn “The word of the Lord” is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; here and in Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Because of its technical nature the expression has been retained in the translation in preference to a smoother rendering like “remembered what the Lord had said” (cf. TEV, NLT).
