(Luke 8:16-18)
The audience here is probably, once again, the general public. The application of the parable of the lamp is not necessarily clear. It may be directed to the disciples. They were to reveal to others the light that they had received. Or it could mean that the parables themselves will one day be made clear. In either case, receptive listening leads to fuller understanding, but refusal to hear will mean deprivation of even the opportunity to listen.
(D. Guthrie and J. A. Motyer eds. The New Bible Commentary: Revised. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1970, 901.)