Is Luke 8:10 Gnostic?

In the Gospel of Luke, it is written "And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand," (Luke 8:10 NASB1995). This verse without context provides an appearance of Gnosticism (click here and here to learn about Gnosticism).

The passage, however, is not gnostic; rather, it pertains to a common theme we see in the Gospels. Just before verse 10, we read: "Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear," (Luke 8:8 NASB1995). If a person desires to hear, to understand, let them listen and meditate on what is said: "In other words, ‘this teaching is worthy the deepest attention of those who have the moral and spiritual capacity to understand it," (Cambridge).

As The Pulpit Commentary notes: "The parable mode of teaching was adopted by Jesus who, as Heart-reader, was aware now by sad experience and still sadder foreknowledge, that his glorious news rather repelled than attracted the ordinary hearer. They did not want to be disturbed from their earthly hopes and loves and fears. They preferred not to be healed as God would heal them. The Master then spoke his parables with the intention of veiling his Divine story from the careless and indifferent. These, he knew, would for the most part be repelled by such teaching, while it would specially attract the earnest inquirer. "The veil which it (the parable) throws over the truth becomes transparent to the attentive mind, while it remains impenetrable to the careless" (Godet)," (Jones).

Many people during the time of our Lord, and even today, did not care what was true; rather, they followed what they desired, causing their hearts to be hard. For those who desire truth, they find it: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you," (Matthew 7:7 NASB1995).

References:

Image by James Coleman on Unsplash

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. United Kingdom, The University Press, 1905.

The Pulpit Commentary, Volume 6. United States, Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2015.