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| Chapter 8 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ And it came to pass afterward that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto Him from their substance. 4 ¶ And when many people had gathered together and had come to Him out of every city, He spoke by a parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it had sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold." And when He had said these things, He cried, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!" 9 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "What might this parable mean?" 10 And He said, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; but to others in parables, 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 they that hear; then cometh the devil and taketh away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 The seed on the rock are they that, when they hear, receive the Word with joy, but they have no root: they for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they that, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they that, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. 16 "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel or putteth it under a bed, but setteth it on a candlestick, that they that enter in may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid that shall not be known and come abroad. 18 Take heed therefore how ye hear, for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have." 19 Then came to Him His mother and His brethren, and could not come near Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told to Him by certain ones, who said, "Thy mother and thy brethren stand outside, desiring to see thee." 21 And He answered and said unto them, "My mother and My brethren are these who hear the Word of God, and do it." 22 ¶ Now it came to pass on a certain day, that He went into a boat with His disciples. And He said unto them, "Let us go over unto the other side of the lake." And they launched forth. 23 But as they sailed, He fell asleep. And there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we perish!" Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water; and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 And He said unto them, "Where is your faith?" And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, "What manner of man is this? For he commandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey him!" 26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He went forth to land, there met Him from the city a certain man who had had devils a long time, and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God Most High? I beseech Thee, torment me not!" 29 (For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he broke the bands and was driven by the devil into the wilderness.) 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, "What is thy name?" And he said, "Legion," because many devils had entered into him. 31 And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep. 32 And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain. And they besought Him that He would suffer them to enter into them. And He suffered them. 33 Then went the devils out of the man and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep slope into the lake and were choked. 34 When those who fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what was done. And they came to Jesus, and found the man out of whom the devils had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 Those also who had seen it told them by what means he that had been possessed of the devils was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes and round about besought Him to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear. And He went up into the boat, and returned back again. 38 Now the man out of whom the devils had departed besought Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to thine own house, and show what great things God hath done unto thee." And he went his way, and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done unto him. 40 ¶ And it came to pass that when Jesus had returned, the people gladly received Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and besought Him that He would come into his house, 42 for he had one daughter only, about twelve years of age, and she lay dying. But as He went, the people thronged Him. 43 And a woman having an issue of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians but could not be healed by any, 44 came behind Him and touched the border of His garment; and immediately her issue of blood was stanched. 45 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those who were with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, ‘Who touched me?’" 46 And Jesus said, "Somebody hath touched Me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me." 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said unto her, "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace." 49 While He yet spoke, there came one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, "Thy daughter is dead. Trouble not the Master." 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Fear not; believe only, and she shall be made whole." 51 And when He came into the house, He suffered no man to go in save Peter and James and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 52 And all wept and bewailed her, but He said, "Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth." 53 And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 54 And He put them all out, and took her by the hand and called, saying, "Maid, arise." 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway, and He commanded to give her meat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them that they should tell no man what was done. |
v1-3 Jesus preaches and heals in Galilee. v1 Jesus now makes a tour of the area of Galilee, reaching out to the people with His message. v2,3 It appears that Luke may have personally known these women when he wrote the gospel. Joanna is only mentioned in this gospel. These women were "ministering to Him," as their gratitude to Jesus for their healing. v4-15 The Parable of the Sower. Matt 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20. This parable is recorded by three of the Gospels, not only does Jesus tell the story, but also gives a meaning of the story. v5 It was a common site for the people to see a farmer out scattering the seed by hand over the prepared soil. The "wayside." Except for a few main roads there were no made up roads, only tracks through the country side, often passing around or even crossing a farmers field. As people walk along these tracks the soil was compressed, becoming very hard, the seeds could not get rooted and were quickly eaten by the birds. v6 Israel is a very stony country, the seed here is not falling on a rock surface but on the thin soil which was covering a layer of rock. The seeds would grow at the first rain fall but the thin soil would quickly dry out and the young plants die. v7 On the edge of the farmers field, sometimes in the fields would be found thorn bushes, even if the tops had been cut down the roots were still alive and the bush would regrow with rain, so restricting the growth of the seed. v8 If the seeds fall on the good soil it will soon grow and produce large crops as the soil is very fertile. v9 The disciples could understand the facts of the story, but they wanted to understand what Jesus was actually teaching with this parable. v10 The information about the "Kingdom of God" would be only revealed to those who were seeking the truth. To those who had no spiritual understanding, this was just an interesting and possible entertaining story (parable). v11-15 Jesus now provides an interpretation (meaning) of this parable, it was not normal for Jesus to give the meaning of His parables, so this is unusual. v12 The Word of God is the truth, written or spoken. The seed is the Word of God which is directed out to the hearers. For some the Word of God will fall on a persons hardened heart or will be taken away by Satan, these will reject the Word, they are the "wayside." v14 "Some fell upon a rock," those who showed interest in the contents took it into there minds, but as soon as they find problems they turned away. v14 Some hear the Word of God, they are pleased to hear and accept the Words, but never grow properly to produce fruit because the things of the world choke and prevent them growing. v15 Finally the Words of God are taken in by the hearts seeking to please God, they grow and produce "much fruit." v16-18 The candle. Jesus is probably referring to the oil lamp used by many of the people, a small clay dish filled with olive oil, a wick placed in the oil would have been lit to provide a small light. The light, though small would have removed the darkness in all directions, placed under a pot it would prevent even this small light and would be a stupid action. v17 The truth is like the light, it spreads everywhere it can reach, it cannot be hidden if it is meant to be of use. v18 The person who hears is just as important as the speaker, we can all hear the words but we are free to chose to act or not to act upon them. v19-21 Relationships. v19 The Gospels do not speak much about the family of Jesus, His brothers did not believe His claims, John 7:5. We are not told why the family had come to Jesus, they could be embarrassed by His claims and actions. Because of the crowd they are unable to reach Him. Jesus is told that they are there, His response is to point to all who were seeking to follow Him and say these are my family, the relationship with Jesus is spiritual, not physical. v22 Jesus stills the waves. Matt 8:23-27; Mark 4:36-41. The eastern side of the sea of Galilee was largely empty of people, Jesus obviously wants to get away from the crowds for a reason, to rest and have time with His disciples. The Sea of Galilee often has sudden changes in the weather, the lake is 680 feet below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Following the heat of the day, at the end of the day, as the air on these hill cools, it comes down these hills creating a strong wind across the water, this causes large waves to be generated. The boat is of open construction and the waves start to enter the boat. v23 Jesus was obviously tired physically as soon after leaving the shore He was fast asleep. This storm must have been worse than normal because as the boat fills with water the fishermen disciples fear for their lives and rush to wake Jesus. v24 Jesus response to this event was to show that His power also covers nature, the wind and waves respond to His command, "Peace, be still." Complete calm would not have naturally happened immediately, so the command calmed the waves as well. v25 Jesus questions their faith, they still did not realize who He was, the Father God would not have allowed a storm to kill His Son, only the death on the cross was the Fathers plan. v26-39 Demons at Gadarene. Matt 8 28-34; Mark 5:1-17. The town of Gadara was seven miles away from the shore, so this event took place at some tombs near the lake. The area was known as "the country of the Gadarenes." v27 This man who approaches the group was so dangerous that he had been thrown out of the town and was now living amongst the tombs. v28 The demons in the man recognize who Jesus is, the demon is afraid that the judgement of God was about to be declared for him. v29 The people had originally kept this man chained but with his supernatural strength had broken the chains and escaped. v30 Jesus asks "What is thy name?" The answer "Legion," means "many" but a Roman legion normally had 6000 men. As the devils asked to be sent into the herd of pigs the name probably means a very great number. v31 The location of the "deep," is the place of destruction which has been prepared for all the evil spirits, the devils did not want to be sent there. It appears that if they inhabit a person or animal they will not be sent yet. Rev 9:1; Rev 11:7; Rev 20:1,3. v32 Swine or pigs were not permitted for a Jew so if these were owned by the Jews they would be against the command of God. It is possible they were owned by Gentiles for use by the Gentiles in Decapolis. v33 This area of lake Galilee has tall, steep rock sides, once the animals start running they would easily fall over the edge, pigs cannot swim well so they would have drowned. It appears that the demonic force made the wrong request, when the animals died they lost there animal residence. v34-36 The men looking after the herd saw what had happened and ran off to the city to tell the owners. The people of the city now come out to Jesus, they see the demonic man fully normal. On hearing the facts they were full of great fear. v37 The people obviously thought that their pigs were more valuable than this man and requested Jesus to depart, not wanting to hear the message or the good acts Jesus could have done there. v38,39 The healed man wanted to join Jesus, he could see that Jesus had something worth having, but Jesus instructed him to return home, tell others what had happen, tell them about the love of God. This man became a wonderful witness to the Saviour. v41 A woman healed and the daughter of Jairus. Matt 9:18-26; Mark 5:22-43. v41 We are not told where the following events took place but in v40 we read " when Jesus had returned, the people gladly received Him," which suggests Capernaum, possibly Jairus was one of the elders involved with the centurion, Luke 7:1-10. Jairus requests help, his daughter is dying, a fast journey back to his home would have been important to Jairus, but the people crowded Jesus and slowed the passage down, then when this woman secretly approaches for healing and Jesus stops to investigate. Luke makes it clear that this woman’s problem was incurable, beyond the doctors of that day. This woman with an "hemorrhage" would be ceremonial defiled, and would be considered unclean, therefore would not be allowed to attend any synagogue and would also have had many problems at home, (Leviticus 15:19-30). v44-46 The woman believed that all she had to do was to touch Jesus to be healed, she reached out in faith to touch just the tassel. See Matt 9:8-26 notes. Jesus felt the flow of virtue or power out of Him. This question must have seemed strange to the disciples as the group were surrounded by the people, Jesus must have been touched many times, but not with faith of healing, Jesus could tell the difference. v47,48 The woman had tried to be healed without any embarrassment, now on being discovered she is very afraid. She had to admit before Jesus and the crowd what had happened and why. Jesus confirms the healing and sends her away with joy. v49,50 The delay is to much for the life of the little girl, people come to tell Jairus it is too late, what went through the mind of Jairus, was he angry with the woman’s action? Jesus on hearing of this news tells Jairus to keep trusting in Him. v51-53 On arrival at the house of Jairus which was surrounded by many mourners. Jesus tells the people that she is "not dead but asleep," this remark causes total unbelief. However, Jesus knew that physical death is only a short passing event, that a person will awake from it one day. Compare John 11:11-14 Jesus now enters the house but only allows Peter, James and John, and the father and the mother of the child to enter with Him. v54-56 Jesus calls to the child as if she is being awoken from sleep. The child must have been ill for sometime as Jesus instructs them to give her food. v56 The request of Jesus to the parents not to tell anyone would seem a strange action seeing all the mourners would see the child was now alive. Jesus does not want the people to use the miracles to put Him in power, these miracles were to show the care and love of God for Man, all leading up to the final sign of love at the cross. |
Easy English Translation
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