Luke 8

1 After this, Yeshua traveled about from town to town and village to village, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. With him were the Twelve,

2 and a number of women who had been healed from evil spirits and illnesses -- Miryam (called Magdalit), from whom seven demons had gone out;

3 Yochanah the wife of Herod's finance minister Kuza; Shoshanah; and many other women who drew on their own wealth to help him.

4 After a large crowd had gathered from the people who kept coming to him from town after town, Yeshua told this parable:

5 "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the path and was stepped on, and the birds flying around ate it up.

6 Some fell on rock; and after it sprouted, it dried up from lack of moisture.

7 Some fell in the midst of thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.

8 But some fell into rich soil, and grew, and produced a hundred times as much as had been sown." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!"

9 His talmidim asked him what this parable might mean,

10 and he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but the rest are taught in parables, so that they may look but not see, and listen but not understand.

11 "The parable is this: the seed is God's message.

12 The ones along the path are those who hear, but then the Adversary comes and takes the message out of their hearts, in order to keep them from being saved by trusting it.

13 The ones on rock are those who, when they hear the word, accept it with joy; but these have no root -- they go on trusting for awhile; but when a time of testing comes, they apostatize.

14 As for what fell in the midst of thorns these are the ones who hear; but as they go along, worries and wealth and life's gratifications crowd in and choke them, so that their fruit never matures.

15 But what fell in rich soil -- these are the ones who, when they hear the message, hold onto it with a good, receptive heart; and by persevering, they bring forth a harvest.

16 "No one who has lit a lamp covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed; no, he puts it on a stand; so that those coming in may see the light.

17 For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nothing is covered up that will not be known and come out into the open.

18 Pay attention, then, to how you hear! For anyone who has something will be given more; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he seems to have will be taken away."

19 Then Yeshua's mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn't get near him because of the crowd.

20 It was reported to him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and want to see you."

21 But he gave them this answer: "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's message and act on it!"

22 One day Yeshua got into a boat with his talmidim and said to them, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake."

23 So they set out; and as they were sailing, he fell asleep. A windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat began to fill up with water, putting them in great danger.

24 They went and woke him, saying, "Rabbi! Rabbi! We're about to die!" He woke up, rebuked the wind and the rough water; and they calmed down, so that it was still.

25 Then he said to the talmidim, "Where is your trust?" Awestruck, they marveled, asking one another, "Who can this be, that he commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him?"

26 They sailed on and landed in the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite the Galil.

27 As Yeshua stepped ashore, a man from the town who had demons came to meet him. For a long time he had not worn clothes; and he lived, not in a house, but in the burial caves.

28 Catching sight of Yeshua, he screamed, fell down in front of him and yelled, "Yeshua! Son of God Ha`Elyon! What do you want with me? I beg you, don't torture me!"

29 For Yeshua had ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man. It had often taken hold of him -- he had been kept under guard, chained hand and foot, but had broken the bonds and been driven by the demon into the desert.

30 Yeshua asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he said, because many demons had entered him.

31 They begged Yeshua not to order them to go off into the Bottomless Pit.

32 Now there was a herd of many pigs, feeding on the hill; and the demons begged him to let them go into these. So he gave them permission.

33 The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, whereupon the herd rushed down the hillside into the lake and were drowned.

34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the town and in the country;

35 and the people came out to see for themselves. They came to Yeshua and found the man out of whom the demons had gone, sitting -- dressed and in his right mind -- at the feet of Yeshua; and they were frightened.

36 Those who had seen it told how the formerly demonized man had been delivered.

37 Then all the people of the Gerasene district asked him to leave them, for they had been seized with great fear. So he boarded the boat and returned.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged that he might go with him; but Yeshua sent him away, saying,

39 "Go back to your home and tell how much God has done for you." He went away proclaiming throughout the whole town how much Yeshua had done for him.

40 When Yeshua got back, the crowd welcomed him; for they were all expecting him.

41 Then there came a man named Ya'ir who was president of the synagogue. Falling at Yeshua's feet, he pleaded with him to come to his house;

42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old; and she was dying. As he went, with the crowds on every side virtually choking him,

43 a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

44 came up behind him and touched the tzitzit on his robe; instantly her hemorrhaging stopped.

45 Yeshua asked, "Who touched me?" When they all denied doing it, Kefa said, "Rabbi! The crowds are hemming you in and jostling you!"

46 But Yeshua said, "Someone did touch me, because I felt power go out of me."

47 Seeing she could not escape notice, the woman, quaking with fear, threw herself down before him and confessed in front of everyone why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.

48 He said to her, "My daughter, your trust has saved you; go in peace."

49 While Yeshua was still speaking, a man came from the synagogue president's house. "Your daughter has died," he said. "Don't bother the rabbi any more."

50 But on hearing this, Yeshua answered him, "Don't be afraid! Just go on trusting, and she will be made well."

51 When he arrived at the house, he didn't allow anyone to go in with him except Kefa, Yochanan, Ya`akov and the child's father and mother

52 All the people were wailing and mourning for her; but he said, "Don't weep; she hasn't died, she's sleeping."

53 They jeered at him, since they knew she had died.

54 But he took her by the hand, called out, "Little girl, get up!"

55 and her spirit returned. She stood up at once, and he directed that something be given her to eat.

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

Luke 8 Commentary

Chapter 8

The ministry of Christ. (1-3) The parable of the sower. (4-21) Christ stilleth the tempest and casteth out devils. (22-40) The daughter of Jairus restored to life. (41-56)

Verses 1-3 We are here told what Christ made the constant business of his life, it was teaching the gospel. Tidings of the kingdom of God are glad tidings, and what Christ came to bring. Certain women attended upon him who ministered to him of their substance. It showed the mean condition to which the Saviour humbled himself, that he needed their kindness, and his great humility, that he accepted it. Though rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.

Verses 4-21 There are many very needful and excellent rules and cautions for hearing the word, in the parable of the sower, and the application of it. Happy are we, and for ever indebted to free grace, if the same thing that is a parable to others, with which they are only amused, is a plain truth to us, by which we are taught and governed. We ought to take heed of the things that will hinder our profiting by the word we hear; to take heed lest we hear carelessly and slightly, lest we entertain prejudices against the word we hear; and to take heed to our spirits after we have heard the word, lest we lose what we have gained. The gifts we have, will be continued to us or not, as we use them for the glory of God, and the good of our brethren. Nor is it enough not to hold the truth in unrighteousness; we should desire to hold forth the word of life, and to shine, giving light to all around. Great encouragement is given to those who prove themselves faithful hearers of the word, by being doers of the work. Christ owns them as his relations.

Verses 22-40 Those that put to sea in a calm, even at Christ's word, must yet prepare for a storm, and for great peril in that storm. There is no relief for souls under a sense of guilt, and fear of wrath, but to go to Christ, and call him Master, and say, I am undone, if thou dost not help me. When our dangers are over, it becomes us to take to ourselves the shame of our own fears, and to give Christ the glory of our deliverance. We may learn much out of this history concerning the world of infernal, malignant spirits, which though not working now exactly in the same way as then, yet all must at all times carefully guard against. And these malignant spirits are very numerous. They have enmity to man and all his comforts. Those under Christ's government are sweetly led with the bands of love; those under the devil's government are furiously driven. Oh what a comfort it is to the believer, that all the powers of darkness are under the control of the Lord Jesus! It is a miracle of mercy, if those whom Satan possesses, are not brought to destruction and eternal ruin. Christ will not stay with those who slight him; perhaps he may no more return to them, while others are waiting for him, and glad to receive him.

Verses 41-56 Let us not complain of a crowd, and a throng, and a hurry, as long as we are in the way of our duty, and doing good; but otherwise every wise man will keep himself out of it as much as he can. And many a poor soul is healed, and helped, and saved by Christ, that is hidden in a crowd, and nobody notices it. This woman came trembling, yet her faith saved her. There may be trembling, where yet there is saving faith. Observe Christ's comfortable words to Jairus, Fear not, believe only, and thy daughter shall be made whole. No less hard was it not to grieve for the loss of an only child, than not to fear the continuance of that grief. But in perfect faith there is no fear; the more we fear, the less we believe. The hand of Christ's grace goes with the calls of his word, to make them effectual. Christ commanded to give her meat. As babes new born, so those newly raised from sin, desire spiritual food, that they may grow thereby.