Luke 8:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

NIV: For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

NASB: For nothing is concealed that will not become evident, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

CSB: For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and brought to light.

NLT: For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.

KJV: For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

NKJV: For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

The meaning of this verse depends on which of two ways the previous verse should be interpreted.

Most likely, the "light" is Jesus' words. He teaches so that people can understand and accept the truth of His message. He teaches in parables to test people: Will they contemplate what He says, accept it, and let it produce fruit in their lives? Or will the distractions of the world draw them away from real understanding?

For those who listen carefully to Jesus' parables, the light of His words will be "made manifest," meaning it will come to be known, or uncovered, or revealed. Those who don't seek out Jesus' meaning are like those who put the light under a jar or a bed. They will understand Jesus' words at the final judgment.

The next verse supports this interpretation. Those who have some understanding of who Jesus is and what He says will likely continue to listen carefully and receive "more"—wisdom and blessings. Those who have truly little understanding are like the first three soils in the parable. Whatever understanding they had will be lost as they follow their distractions. It is these Jesus describes when He justifies His use of parables, that "seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand" (Luke 8:10).

Another interpretation is that the "light" represents the good "fruit" that results when we listen to Jesus (Galatians 5:22–23). When we hear or read His message, we need to be like the good soil—readily accept His truths, nurture them, and allow the Holy Spirit to produce good results in our lives. Those who do not listen to Jesus will have bad fruit (Galatians 5:17–21). Either way, the fruit will inevitably reveal whether they listened to Christ or not. This interpretation seems to lean too heavily on a similar but different parable Jesus gives in Matthew 5:14–16.

In Luke 8:16–18, Jesus tells the parable of the lamp under a jar. When someone lights a lamp, they do so in order that others see the light. When someone shares the gospel, it is so others will hear and accept it. People are responsible for how they hear. Luke 8:19–56 gives examples of how closely people hear Jesus' message, beginning with Jesus' family. Mark records the parable in the same context (Mark 4:21–25). Matthew seems to give a similar but different parable to exhort Jesus-followers to be the light and share the gospel, themselves (Matthew 5:14–16).

Luke 8 includes portions of three sections of Jesus' Galilean Ministry. The women who support Jesus' ministry bridge the faithful outcasts of chapter 7 to the sower who spreads the news of God's kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). Luke 8:4–18 includes the parables of the sower and the lamp under the jar. These illustrate the importance of hearing Jesus' message with a mind to believe and obey. Luke 8:19–56 presents different faith reactions when Jesus' life, power, and authority elicit questions about His identity.

This passage continues Luke's pattern in the account of Jesus' Galilean ministry: alternating calls to discipleship with stories that describe the discipleship He expects. In Luke 6:17, Jesus transitioned from calling and training the Twelve to a more general call; in Luke 7, Jesus interacted specifically with those with less privilege in society. Chapter 8 reveals how people react when Jesus reveals who He is, mostly through miracles. In Luke 9:18–50, Jesus returns to intense discipleship of the Twelve to give them courage and faith, preparing them for the journey to Jerusalem and what they will witness there.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.