Luke 08

 

Jesus’ Ministry and the Help of Women 

1Some time afterward he went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,

 

Jesus began taking His disciples with Him from town to town.

 

2and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out,

 

Jesus healed some women who were possessed with demons. Mary Magdalene was possessed by seven demons.

 

3and Joanna the wife of Cuza (Herod’s household manager), Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources.

 

When a man will not support the ministry, then God will raise up women to do so. 

 

The Parable of the Sower

4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from one town after another, he spoke to them in a parable:

 

Since the nation of Israel had rejected the messianic claim of Jesus and called Him demon possessed, then He began to teach them in parables.

 

5“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it. 

 

A planter planted seeds in his field, hoping to grow large crops.  Some of the seeds were trampled and never grew. Some wild birds devoured the other seeds.    

 

6Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. 

 

Other seeds fell on rock and never rooted.

 

7Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it. 

 

Some seed fell upon thorns and was choked out by weeds.

 

8But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he said this, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!”

 

Some seed fell on good ground and produced 100 times as much grain. Those who are illuminated by the Holy Spirit were invited to see and hear the meaning of the parable.

 

9Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 

 

The disciples did not understand the parable.

 

10He said, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.

 

Only those illuminated by the Holy Spirit can understand this parable. 

 

11“Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. 

There are four types of seed that fall upon the ground. 

 

12Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 

 

The first seed was unbelievers who never believe the gospel. Satan takes the truth out of their hearts.

 

13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing fall away. 

 

The second seed was believers who hear the Word of God and are saved. However, they never root themselves into deep Bible study. They remain baby Christians their entire life, producing no fruit.

 

14As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 

 

The third seed was believers who hear the Word of God and are saved, but they are choked out by the satanic world system. They do not have enough Bible doctrine to mature past their carnal stage. They remain as carnal Christians and never produce any fruit.

 

15But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.

 

The fourth seed was the believers who hear the gospel, believe, study Bible doctrine, apply Bible doctrine, and they produce large crops of other believers.

 

Showing the Light

 

16“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in can see the light. 

 

Light creates responsibility. Once a person believers, he is to shine his light so that others can see the good news. He is not to place a jar over his light, refusing to reveal the light to others.

 

17For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. 

 

The light of God is not to be hidden. It is to be revealed. Silent, shy, and inactive believers are hiding the light that they were given.

 

18So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

 

Whoever studies Bible doctrine will be given more illumination. Deep Bible study produces more illumination.

 

Jesus’ True Family

 

19Now Jesus’ mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd. 

 

Notice that Mary was not an immaculate virgin. She had other sons and daughters.

 

20So he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 

 

The family wanted to talk to Jesus. Sometimes Satan influences family members to come against one who is doing Christ’s work.

 

21But he replied to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

 

Christian brotherhood is deeper than family ties.

 

Stilling of a Storm

 

22One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23and as they sailed he fell asleep. Now a violent windstorm came down on the lake, and the boat started filling up with water, and they were in danger. 

 

This could have been a satanic attack to eliminate Jesus and His disciples off of this world. Job’s children were killed in a similar manner. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and tidal waves are not acts of God, but acts of Satan. They are a part of the satanic world system.

 

24They came and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are about to die!” So he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they died down, and it was calm. 

 

Jesus is omnipotent. He controls the weather.

 

25Then he said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!”

 

The disciples had more light than others, because they saw Jesus perform miracles every day. They should have known that Jesus was omnipotent over weather.

 

Healing of a Demoniac

 

26So they sailed over to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 

 

Gerasene was the area in which the tribe of Gad chose way back in the days of Joshua. Gerasene was on the wrong side of the Jordan.

 

27As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs. 

 

A demon possessed man met Jesus as soon as He stepped off the boat. Apparently, he was attempting to disrupt the ministry of Jesus. Satan most likely moved most of his demons to Israel during the ministry of Jesus.

 

28When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and shouted with a loud voice, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not torment me!” 

 

The demon knew that Jesus was the Son of God. However, Jesus does not accept testimony from demons.

 

29For Jesus had started commanding the evil spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so he would be bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard. But he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.) 

 

The demon possessed supernatural strength.

 

30Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 

 

This man was possessed by multiple demons. Many split personality disorders are a result of demon possession.

 

31And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss. 

 

The abyss is a temporary jail cell for bad demons who break God’s laws. The demons locked in the abyss will be released to prey upon the earth during the Great Tribulation.

 

32Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and the demonic spirits begged Jesus to let them go into them. He gave them permission. 

 

Notice that the tribe of Gad chose the wrong side of the Jordan, causing them to enter into the pig business. According to the Mosaic Law, pigs were unclean.

 

33So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. 

 

The pigs were smarter than men. They would rather commit suicide than have a demon living inside of them.

 

34When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside. 

 

The herdsmen were not very happy about losing their profitable business.

 

35So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 

 

Instead of being afraid, the people should have rejoiced. A man had been delivered from multiple demons.

 

36Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. 

 

This was a miracle. 

 

37Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and left. 

 

The Gerasenes loved their pigs more than they loved Jesus. This was the result of the tribe of Gad choosing the wrong side of the Jordan.

 

38The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your home, and declare what God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town what Jesus had done for him.

 

The demon possessed man became a very powerful witness for Jesus.

 

Restoration and Healing

 

40Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, because they were all waiting for him. 

 

Crowds followed Jesus everywhere.

 

41Then a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue, came up. Falling at Jesus’ feet, he pleaded with him to come to his house, 42because he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds pressed around him.

 

Jairus was a synagogue ruler. His daughter was dying. He asked Jesus to heal her.

 

43Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years but could not be healed by anyone. 

 

On the way to heal the daughter of Jairus, Jesus was being pressed by the crowds. In the crowd was a woman with a severe hemorrhage which was incurable.

 

44She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once the bleeding stopped. 

 

The woman touched Jesus and she was healed.

 

45Then Jesus asked, “Who was it who touched me?” When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against you!” 

 

Jesus was omniscient. He knew who touched Him. He wanted to build a relationship with the woman.

 

46But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me.” 

 

Jesus gave the woman a chance to identify herself.

 

47When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. 

 

The woman identified herself to Jesus and the crowd.

 

48Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

 

“Daughter” was a title of love and respect for a beloved family member. Jesus wanted the woman to know that she was dearly loved by God.

 

49While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.” 

 

After this delay, the daughter of Jairus died.

 

50But when Jesus heard this, he told him, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” 

 

Jesus was going to raise her from the dead.

 

51Now when he came to the house, Jesus did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. 

 

Jesus did not want a crowd of miracle seekers at the bed of the little girl. Jesus was not like a magician. He did not show off His miracles in public to awe the crowd.

 

52Now they were all wailing and mourning for her, but he said, “Stop your weeping; she is not dead but asleep.” 

 

Professional mourners were at the funeral. They were very superstitious. They were crying and wailing to the dead. Jesus told them to stop the superstition wailing. The girl was alive.

 

53And they began making fun of him, because they knew that she was dead. 

 

The crowd knew that the girl was dead. They mocked Jesus for making such a claim.

 

54But Jesus gently took her by the hand and said, “Child, get up.” 

 

Jesus used language in which everyone could understand.

 

55Her spirit returned, and she got up immediately. Then he told them to give her something to eat. 

 

The body without the spirit is dead. Jesus returned her spirit to her physical body. The girl sat up immediately and was hungry. Only God can raise the dead. Jesus displayed an attribute of deity.

 

56Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

 

Jesus did not need any more miracle-seekers. They hindered His ministry. Many modern charismatics are like miracle-seekers. They are interested in seeing miracles, but they are not interested in hearing the Word of God.