Luke 8

And after this it happened that he went through every city and village, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, out of whom seven demons had gone,

8:2 She was called Magdalene because she was from Magdala, a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.⚜

3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, Susanna, and many others. These contributed to them from their possessions.

8:3 Jesus had nothing of this world’s goods (Matt 8:20), and His disciples had left all they had to follow Him (Luke 5:11, 28; 18:28). They did not perform miracles to feed themselves, and we never read that they took up a collection, or asked for money. They received their support from those who wanted to give to them – Luke 10:4-7; Matt 10:9-11. Compare 1 Cor 9:6-14; Lev 7:14.⚜

The parable of the sower

4 And when many people had gathered, coming to him from every town, he spoke using a parable:

5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trampled on, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on rock; and as soon as it had sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

8:6 In Matt 13:6 the emphasis is on shallowness of soil. Shallow soil cannot retain moisture, nor can shallow hearts retain spiritual showers that come from God.⚜

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other seed fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold”. And when he had said these things, he cried out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”.

9 And his disciples asked him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

10 And he said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others I give parables, so that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are those who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, so that they might not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns means those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But that seed which fell on the good ground means those who, having heard the word with a suitable and good heart, keep it, and patiently bear fruit.

8:4-15 Matt 13:2-23. This parable in Luke was told in somewhat different words and at a different time than the same one in Matthew chapter 13.⚜

8:15 Here is more emphasis on the qualities of the person who produces a harvest for God. By nature men do not have such a heart (see Matt 15:18-20; Jer 17:9). If anyone has a suitable and good heart it is because God has worked deeply in his heart, given him a new nature and made him a new person. See 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:1-10. Observe here that a harvest for God comes by keeping His word in the heart and persevering in His work. See 1 Cor 15:58.⚜

16 “No one, having lit a lamp, covers it with a utensil, or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lamp stand, so that those who come in may see the light.

8:16 Matt 5:14-15. Jesus is speaking of His disciples.⚜

17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come out. 18 Therefore take care how you listen, for whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever does not have, from him will be taken even what he seems to have”.

Jesus speaks of His mother and brothers

19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told him by someone who said, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you”.

21 And he answered and said to them, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it”.

8:21 See Luke 6:47; 11:28; John 14:21. The Lord Jesus always put the emphasis where it belongs – on obedience to God’s Word, actually doing what God says.⚜

Jesus stills the storm

22 Now it happened on a certain day that he went into a boat with his disciples. And he said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake”. And they set out. 23 But as they sailed, he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and their boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. 24 And they came to him and woke him up, saying, “Master, master, we are going to die!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they stopped and there was a calm.

25 And he said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “What kind of man is this! For he commands even the winds and water, and they obey him”.

Jesus drives out a legion of demons

26 And they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is on the other side of Galilee. 27 And when he stepped out on the land, he was met by a certain man from the city, who had been possessed by demons for a long time. He wore no clothes, and did not stay in any house, but among the tombs.

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and prostrated himself before him, and said with a loud voice, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!”

29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him; and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and fetters. And he had broken the shackles, and had been driven by the demon into the wilderness. 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”, because many demons had entered him.

31 And they begged him not to command them to go into the Abyss.

8:31 The Abyss is a place of confinement for evil spirits and Satan – Rev 9:1-2; 20:1-3. Why did not God from the beginning confine all evil spirits to the abyss forever? See notes at 1 Chron 21:1.⚜

32 And a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the mountain. And the demons begged him to allow them to enter them. And he allowed them. 33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down a steep place into the lake and were drowned.

34 When those who tended them saw what had happened, they ran away and told it in the city and in the countryside. 35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed by the demons had been healed. 37 Then all the people from the surrounding region of the Gadarenes begged him to leave them, because they were seized by great fear. And he got into the boat and returned.

38 Now the man out of whom the demons had gone had begged him that he might stay with him. But Jesus had sent him away, saying, 39 “Go back home, and tell what great things God has done for you”. And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Jesus raises Jairus’ daughter from death and heals the woman with an issue of blood

40 And it happened that when Jesus returned, the people gladly received him, for they had all been waiting for him. 41 And just then a man named Jairus came. He was a ruler of the synagogue, and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and begged him to come to his house; 42 for he had only one daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went the people were almost crushing him.

43 And a woman having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her resources on doctors and could not be healed by any, 44 came up behind him and touched the hem of his garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

45 And Jesus said, “Who touched me?” When everyone denied it, Peter and those who were with him said, “Master, the people are crowding you and pressing around you, and are you saying, ‘Who touched me?’”

46 And Jesus said, “Somebody touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out of me”.

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and prostrating herself before him, she told him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him and how she was healed immediately.

48 And he said to her, “Daughter, take courage. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace”.

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the house of the ruler of the synagogue came saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Master”.

50 But when Jesus heard this, he answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid, only believe, and she will get well”.

51 And when he came into the house, he permitted no one to go inside except Peter, James and John, and the father and the mother of the girl. 52 And everyone was weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep. She is not dead, but is sleeping”.

53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

54 And he put them all outside, and took her by the hand and called out, saying, “Get up, child”.

55 And her spirit returned, and she immediately got up. And he told them to give her food. 56 And her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.