The Sower
The chapter opens [Luke 8:1-3] with Jesus continued ministry. He went through every city and village, preaching what God laid on His heart to preach and showing the glad tidings of God's kingdom. It doesn't say He was speaking the glad tidings, although that was certainly true as well, but that He was showing them. He was continuing in His practice of backing up the words He was saying with demonstrations of the fruit and perhaps the gifts of the Spirit to back up what He was saying.
Don't get me wrong. If you have read these pages of mine, you will know that I'm a real champion of trying to hear what God wants to do that can't be duplicated by man to get people to wake up and pay attention. But anything done in that manner should always be accompanied by the fruit of the Spirit as well. Speaking about love is great. Speaking about love and demonstrating love in action is better.
He was not alone in this ministry. The chosen disciples were with Him, and many others including women Jesus had healed and set free from demons also went along and took care of the group. When many had gathered from the surrounding area to hear Jesus words, Jesus related the parable of the sower.
In it, Jesus told of a sower who sowed seed for new crops [Luke 8:4-8]. Some of the seed went onto the road or path alongside the field and was trampled down. Other seed fell on rocky ground and when it sprouted it didn't have any ability to reach water with its roots and it withered away and died. Other seed landed in and among thorns and other weeds that were stronger, and it was choked out for light and nutrients. Finally, some fell on good ground and it brought forth an hundredfold beyond what was planted. Jesus then cried for the people who were listening to hear the message.
The disciples didn't follow. If we hadn't heard this story preached over and over, we might not get it either. But Jesus patiently explained it to them [Luke 8:9-15]. As we know, Jesus was likening the seed to the word of God, in whatever form that took - one on one witness, a teaching, a sermon, the written word of God, direct messages from God through the Spirit, commentaries, studies, the number of ways people can hear about the word are boundless.
The reality is that sometimes those words will be taken right out of their heart by the devil. Maybe he'll send an interruption that makes you forget about what you just heard. Maybe he'll send someone along to give you alternate explanations for what you heard or felt or saw that don't involve God. Maybe he'll point out some false religion that believes something similar in order to make Christianity seem less than unique. He'll do just about anything he can to try to make sure the word you hear has no chance of sticking around to cause conviction and salvation to happen.
Sometimes, the word will be received well, but that is all there is. There is no followup or instruction of where to go to get more information. A pamphlet was left on a door that wasn't well written. Somebody casually mentioned Christ at a store, but were in a hurry or didn't want to get the employee in trouble or the customer to make a fuss, so the interaction was short. Maybe you just clicked on a short YouTube link but couldn't be bothered to look for other messages by the same pastor. Whatever, the joy fades, and life sets in, and you have no roots or understanding of what you hear and so it is lost and you go back to how you were. The believe for a bit, but when temptations of life come along, they go back to what was fun and comfortable.
Sometimes the word comes when we are just too busy with life to take time to fully understand and apply it to our lives. The thorns of life like riches and pleasures and worries and cares overwhelm the budding Christian life and it is smothered in all the bigger things going on around. It hasn't had time to be established as something that can stand in the full armor of God against all that would come. It never has a chance to grow up and produce fruit on its own.
But sometimes seed falls on ears that are eager to hear or eyes that are eager to read, and that seed grows and produces a great crop of Christians through the work of their own lives. With patience, and a full life, many more are won to the cause of Christ and saved.
Sometimes, you just know that what you are saying is unlikely to be received. And in those cases, you need to be cognizant of what the Holy Spirit is telling you to do. Other times, like in these commentary pages, I have no idea whether they will bring fruit for the kingdom or not. This chapter has been a long time coming, not because it is particularly difficult, but just that life got in the way and I chose to do some other things. But God said I had four hours, so I'm going to try to finish it. Unless the Holy Spirit check you from saying something, though, you should witness when you have the opportunity. You never know what sort of ground the listener truly has. Sometimes the hardest looking individual can have the best prepared soil, and vice versa. It isn't our place to judge. We are simply commanded to spread the good word.
Jesus reinforces this in Luke 8:16-18. He comments that when you light a candle, you place it where it can light up a room. It doesn't do any good to cover it up with a basket or vessel or to hide it in a closet or under a bed. Its purpose is to light up the darkness, so it should do so. Although Jesus might have been alluding to sin issues in verse 17, He could just as easily have been talking about a person's Christianity. If you are saved, it should be impossible to hide that fact. People should see the change in you when you are saved or in your life versus those in the world if you have been a Christian a long time. You can't hide it.
We are commanded to spread the word. Jesus points out that those that have the means to share the gospel and aren't making use of it will find that their method of sharing the word might be removed. Help us to all do our part, whatever that might be, to spread the word of God about salvation through Jesus Christ alone in the last days of the world.
Family Relations
In Luke 8:19-21, Jesus mother and step siblings show up, but there are too many people gathered around Jesus for them to reach Him. Jesus is informed that they are present and wanted to see Him. Jesus answered and said that those who are His true mother and brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it.
I'm an only child, but I have several daughters and sons. Fortunately, I've got pretty good children. If I really needed something done, most would step up and try to help. Those who lived closer might be pressured more by the others to help first, simply due to distance. But I suspect that even now, if there was a true time of need, all would step up. And to be fair, those currently in their lives whether their significant others or children would as well. And that is how you measure families. By observing who will help in time of need.
There are many families, who have relationships that are biological at most, but where relationships have strained or broken over time. While they carry the relationship by blood or by legal construct, time and events have severed ties in ways that there is no way for a child, grandchild (even if the grandchild knows the grandparent) or any significant other would remotely try to help in a time of need.
People take what Jesus said the wrong way, many times. Perhaps they come from intact families and don't understand just how bitter lives can become. But Jesus raised a high standard. He said to be part of His family, you were required to set aside any grievances you may have (like what was probably going through Jesus' relatives minds when they couldn't get in to see Him), and listen to what God is saying to you. Perhaps it's time to forgive and forget all the things that have caused you to split away from your family. Realize that God wants you to live at peace and love everyone. It's part of the deal of being a Christian.
Danger on the Lake
Luke 8:22-25 records the experience of the disciples and Jesus as they traveled by boat across a lake. Jesus was tired, so He laid down and took a nap. As He did, a storm came up on the lake. I'd think you'd have to be pretty tired to not be awakened by a storm, but when the wind and waves threatened to swamp the boat, the disciples came and woke Him and probably said something like "What are you doing sleeping? Grab a bucket and bail or we're going down!"
How many think that when they awakened Jesus, they got a glare? How many think He just shook His head and sighed? Whichever extreme or somewhere in between, Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and the water and they immediately ceased to be a problem. It would have been interesting to hear if the rebuke was more than "Peace. Be still", but that is all that is recorded [Mark 4:39].
He then asked the disciples where their faith was. The disciples, and perhaps others on the boat with them, were quite afraid that even the wind and waves were under His power. Some of them were fishermen, who probably knew exactly what a storm at sea was like, and how long the waves might be agitated after the wind stopped. But being used to the danger of storms, it certainly got their attention.
Jesus' question though, is one He would come back to often. Where was the disciples faith? Had they not seen all the miracles that He had done? Did they not understand that He was the Messiah? That same question is one He left for our modern day. When I come back, meaning when I return for the church in the rapture, will I find faith [Luke 18:8]?
I pray that He will find it in me. I'm the only one I have any control over. I can't make someone else have faith, any more than Jesus could make His disciples have faith, even with the fruit and gifts of the Spirit working through Him in their sight on a daily basis. Where's your faith? If you are lacking in faith, read the Word. Read the Old and New Testaments. Faith cometh by hearing, and the Word of God [Romans 10:17]. If you're questioning faith, see what the Bible has to say about it.
And what manner of man was He? Well, He was the son of Mary and God. He didn't have any sin in Him. But other than that He was no different than any Holy Spirit baptized believer. He did what He saw the Father doing. The Father didn't want Him or those with Him to drown in a lake, so He calmed the wind and the water. But He didn't do anything any other Christian couldn't do. Where's our faith? That remains the most important question. He wouldn't have said what He did if He didn't expect their faith to be sufficient to do what He did. Again, where's our faith?
To be clear, sometimes you just need the Holy Spirit gift of faith. If you have let your faith grow over time by doing smaller things that build faith gradually, then when disaster strikes, you might be more ready to issue a peace be still on your own. But if you haven't been gradually building your faith and understanding the God expects you to be able to utilize that faith just like Jesus expected of His disciples, then when disaster strikes, you may well find yourself cowering and trying to do the equivalent of waking up Jesus with frantic prayers. God won't blame you for that, but He may still ask "Where's your faith". It takes a lot to stand up in front of a bunch of people and command the wind to stop and the waves to stop swamping your boat in whatever real sense applies to your situation. But if you are a righteous man or woman, remember that the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much [James 5:16].
Casting out Legion
After they make it to the other side, probably by rowing now since the wind had been stilled, they come to the land of the Gadarenes [Luke 8:26-39]. There, they were met by a man who had many demons living inside him. He lived in the tombs, wearing no clothes, was frequently bound by the people around the area when they could catch him, but the demons gave him strength to break free.
When Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to leave, the spirit in charge asked to not be tormented by Jesus. The spirits were settled into the man and planning to stay until the man died. They had found a comfortable home. They didn't want to be cast into outer darkness (tartarus) and asked Jesus to instead send them into a nearby herd of swine. Jesus gave them leave to do that, and when He did, the devils left the man, entered the pigs, and the pigs all drove themselves into the lake where they drowned.
The keepers of the swine ran to the village to let them know what had happened. When the villagers came out, they found the man sitting with Jesus, clothed, and in a right mind. Since Jesus tells him to go back to his own house, it would seem that he hadn't been this way his whole life, but had recently been filled with demons. The people were spooked and asked Jesus to leave.
When Jesus goes to leave the man wants to go with Jesus. I'd suspect that if I had been freed from a Legion of unclean spirits and the people I had known were rejecting the person who had freed me, I'd not want to stick around either. But Jesus told him to stay and to tell everyone what had happened to him and how he had been saved. Jesus then, and the Holy Spirit now, won't stick around if they are rejected. That isn't to say that you can't be led back to God, but if you reject Him, you can't expect His help either.
Jesus wanted the man to stay and be a witness of the saving power of Jesus name. And he agreed to do so. If God does something great for you, let the world know. It is especially important in this day and age. Most Christians don't have a swarm of townspeople observing every action who will see great things that God does themselves. It is necessary to let the world know, one person at a time. Let God be your guide, but don't be afraid to spread the word that God hasn't given up on His people. So many need to hear that today.
But also, don't be like the people of the Gadarenes. Clearly, a great miracle of deliverance had happened. It freaked them out and made them want to have the powerful man somewhere else. Perhaps they were afraid that He would be able to see and expose all of their faults just as easily as He command the unclean spirits to come out of the man. Many times people get comfortable in sin and just don't want to change. Being confronted by a clearly righteous man can make change seem inevitable, and change is rarely seen as a good thing if it means you might have to give up something you like.
Regardless, the man who was delivered did as Jesus asked and witnessed throughout the whole city about what Jesus had done for him. It is great to read the Bible and know the great miracles that Jesus and the disciples have done. But it is immensely strengthening to your faith to hear of people you know who are touched by God's hand. Don't hesitate to witness to those you know of the good things that God has done for you (or the bad things if you've turned against God and then come back to Him). People still need to hear in this day and age, and hearing contemporary things is best.
Woman with Issue of Blood
In the story of Jairus, the woman who had an issue of bleeding that wouldn't stop is inserted. So I'll cover that fist and then talk about Jairus. Luke 8:43-48 tells the story of the woman. She had been suffering from a flow of blood that wouldn't stop for a long time. She was ceremonially unclean due to this and was restricted in her ability to worship. But she had been paying attention to what was happening when Jesus was around, and when she heard that Jesus would be coming her way, she made plans to reach out and touch Him as He went by, having faith that this act would be sufficient to make her clean.
I suspect that she didn't expect there to be a huge crowd of people between her and her target. But she also probably felt that this would work in her favor as she could force her way through the crowd, touch Jesus, and slip away unnoticed and she hoped, healed. It almost worked the way she had hoped. She touched Jesus, she was immediately healed, and then it all went wrong. Jesus stopped and wanted to know who had touched Him.
Everyone around Him denied it, and good old Peter commented that there was a huge multitude of people around Him and it was nuts to ask who had touched Him. But Jesus replied that He knew that healing virtue left Him, which probably shut up Peter and the rest of the people around Him. When the woman realized that she had been discovered, she came forward and admitted what she had done. She shamed herself by admitting her physical problem and that she had touched Jesus. But Jesus surprised her, telling her to relax and that her faith had made her whole. He then told her to go in peace. Jesus had done what all the doctors who she had spent her money on were unable to do.
I don't knock the medical profession. They have learned a great many things about the human body, and there are many things that they can fix or at least make better. In the United States, however, you may go financially broke being healed. Any trip to a hospital is likely to cost thousands or dollars and a long stay or recurring condition can cost hundreds of thousands or more.
Every Christian needs to pray to be used by the Holy Spirit like the disciples were and like Christ was. We need to be clear that we are following God's will, just as Jesus did. But God needs more workers in His army. He needs more boots on the ground. Just like that old Army poster, Uncle Sam needs you, God needs you.
Jairus' Daughter
Getting back to Jairus [Luke 8:40-42, 49-56], a ruler in the synagogue, had a daughter who was sick, and Jairus came to fall at Jesus feet and pray to Him that He would come and heal his twelve year old girl. It was as Jesus was going to Jairus' home that the woman of blood came and interrupted the procession. As Jesus was finishing up with the woman, a servant arrived to tell Jairus that there was no point in bothering Jesus any further because his daughter was dead;
Can you imagine what may have gone through the man's heart? "If only that woman hadn't interrupted, my daughter would have lived!", seems likely. After all, the woman just had an issue of blood. His little girl was dying. The despair was large.
Jesus recognized this and told the man not to worry, but only believe and his daughter would be made whole. I think that this is one of those times that Jesus was counting on faith the size of a mustard seed. He had just seen a great miracle done. The woman had merely touched Jesus with her hand, without Jesus saying a word, and she had been healed. Maybe there was hope... at least a tiny bit.
When Jesus got to the house, and Jesus made to enter with the girl's parents, James, John, and Peter, Jesus told the crowd not to worry either and to dry their tears because the girl wasn't really dead, and only sleeping. The crowd outright laughed at Jesus, and I'll bet most Christians today would to if someone were to realize that God wanted someone who had recently died to live and told the chosen instrument of the resurrection to tell the people they didn't know what they were talking about.
Yet after being led to the room where the girl was, and sending everyone else out, a two word command caused her to receive life again. She got up and Jesus commanded them to give her food. Her parents were astonished. I'm not sure why Jesus told them to feed her. Perhaps whatever her ailment was that caused her death had been tied in with an inability to eat or hold down food, and Jesus wanted to show the parents that she was also healed.
Jesus told the parents not to tell anyone what He had done. but I doubt the crowd of gloom and doom doubters were able to keep quiet for long after they found the dead girl was living and well. Today would be no different. If you are going to work in the power of the Holy Spirit, telling the people around you to keep quiet about it isn't likely to work for long. But don't let that stop you from doing what God tells you to do. Preaching a message that will help to save just one makes all the sacrifice worth it. Angels rejoice in heaven when even one soul is saved [Luke 15:7]. Do your part.