LUKE 8
   Luke 8:1 "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of
the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,"
    Jesus has left the Pharisee that He had dinner with and even left Capernaum and began to travel from city to city
carrying the gospel of the kingdom. He took his twelve disciples with Him.
    Luke 8:2 "And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went
seven devils,"
    Luke 8:3 "And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their
substance."
    There was a group of women who accompanied Jesus on this missionary journey, as well as the disciples. It appears they gave to Jesus'
ministry. Jesus seems to have great compassion for women. He cast seven devils out of Mary
Magdalene and healed several women specifically mentioned, such as Peter's Mother-in-law. Jesus loved and still does love people. He does
not first check to see if they are men or women. With God there is no male and female, as we read in Galatians 3:28. With mankind, there is
male and female. God is not interested in flesh. He is interested in spirit.
    Luke 8:4  "And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:"
    Everywhere Jesus went He was thronged with people, and this was no exception. His fame had spread so that a very large group of people
had come from all the cities to hear Him and see the miracles.
    Luke 8:5 "A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of
the air devoured it."
    This is the famous parable about the seed (Word of God) which was sown. This is one of the parables that Jesus gives the exact meaning
to. Jesus spoke in parables throughout the Bible, and we need to ask the Holy Spirit of God to reveal the meaning of these parables to us many
times. Jesus spoke in parables so that the world could not just use "head belief" to come to Him. A person must give his heart to God, not his
head.
    Luke 8:6 "And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture." 
    Luke 8:7 "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it."
    Luke 8:8 "And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he
cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
    This parable is dealt with more fully in the 13th chapter of Matthew and the 4th chapter of Mark. Jesus does not explain this parable to the
great masses of people. He waits until He gets with just the group that is traveling with Him.
    Luke 8:9 "And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?"
    They were not baptized in the Holy Spirit at this time, and their understanding had not been opened. Before this,
Jesus had not spoken in parables. This was a new type of teaching. I believe that these parables contained messages not for the worldly
people, but for those who chose to follow Jesus. These parables would be revealed to the Christians by the Holy Spirit of God.  These were not
flesh messages, these were messages to be revealed to the spirit.
    Luke 8:10 "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."
    The Bible and its meaning is revealed to those who diligently search the Scriptures and truly desire to know the will of God in their
lives. To the worldly, it is a book that is too difficult to understand. They lay it down saying that they can't understand it. the Bible is
understood by the heart and not the mind. The Bible is to be understood by the spirit of mankind. Parables are God's way of concealing
from those worldly people His message of salvation. They can see the literal word and cannot understand its meaning. They can look at
Jesus Christ the and see nothing more than a man. The sad thing is that many church goers who proclaim Jesus as their Saviour still see a man.
    Luke 8:11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."
    Jesus, by explaining this particular parable, is also teaching the disciples to look for deeper meaning in all of His Scriptures; not just the
obvious parables. When we see the seed anywhere in the Bible, we know that it symbolizes the Word of God.
    Luke 8:12 "Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they
should believe and be saved."
    This person could even be a casual church goer. Through preaching or some other way, they are exposed to the Word of God. However, the
world and the lust of the flesh seem to have a greater call on their life. They do not accept the Word of God into themselves. The devil, in this
case, is saying the sins of the world caused this person not to retain the Word of God.
    Luke 8:13 "They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while
believe, and in time of temptation fall away."
    We have all seen this type of person. The preacher delivers a great sermon and they get all excited and are going all out to live for Jesus
and then troubles or sometimes even good times come along and they fade away. There is real danger (besides being wrong) in teaching that
if you receive the Lord only good times, health, and wealth await you. If hard times, sickness, or poverty comes to those people, it will destroy
their faith. Problems come to every one. It rains on the just and the unjust. Suffering comes with the territory. Their faith in God and His
Word will not hold up under testing, and they lose the faith, because they have no root.
    Luke 8:14 "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and
riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."
    Not only hard times run you away from God. Just like the rich young man who went away sorrowful without receiving God when he had to
choose between God and his money. Many today seek pleasure more than they seek God. Wealth can be a real problem. Worldly pleasures are
more available to the wealthy. Jesus said it is difficult for a rich man to make heaven. It is not impossible, but it is difficult. These people
work a short while for Jesus and then give up. They have no fruit, because they give up.
    Luke 8:15 "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring
forth fruit with patience."
    This describes the Christian who not only receives Jesus as his Saviour, but as his Lord. This person learns everything he or she can and
uses that to bring others into the kingdom.
   Luke 8:16  "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 which enter in may see the light."
    The purpose in lighting a candle is to brighten a darkened room. If you light a candle and cover it up or hide it under a bed, you would
defeat the whole purpose of lighting it. Jesus is the Light of the world. His Light does away with darkness. To hide the gospel of Jesus Christ
would be denying His Light to do away with the darkness of Satan.
    Luke 8:17 "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come
abroad."
    Satan deals in darkness. When the Light of Jesus is applied, it does away with Satan's work of darkness. Nothing can hide from the Light
of Jesus.
    Luke 8:18 "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."
    He tells them that those who diligently seek the Scriptures for truth shall increase in knowledge, but those who do not take their
Christianity seriously will eventually even forget the truth that He has already taught them. A Christian is constantly on the move, going
forward, growing constantly in the Lord, and if not, then they are going backwards and losing what they already learned.
    Luke 8:19  "Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press."
    By this time, many people were following Him and these brothers and Mother couldn't get through the crowd to Jesus.
    Luke 8:20 "And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee."
    We don't read who brought the message. Whoever brought it was thinking of brothers in the flesh. Jesus really is not a flesh man. He is a
God man.
    Luke 8:21 "And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it."
    Jesus is speaking about the spiritual family of God. All believers in Christ are members of the family of God. This is what Jesus is speaking
of here as He always speaks of His Spirit relation to man, not His physical.
    Luke 8:22  "Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over
unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth."
    To go by ship out into the lake was one way that Jesus had of getting free from  the great multitude of people who gathered around Him.
Jesus was tired and needed to rest.
    Luke 8:23 "But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and
were in jeopardy."
    The Sea of Galilee is well known for the sudden storms that come up, and many ships have been caught and gone down in the storm. This
storm had gotten really severe, and the disciples feared for their lives.
    Luke 8:24 "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."
    These disciples had been professional fishermen and had been through many storms. This had to be more than an ordinary storm. The
disciples knew where to go for help. Jesus has control of everything including the elements of the wind and waves.  When Jesus speaks, they
must obey. The wind stopped and the waves stopped building up and became calm.
    Luke 8:25 "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 water, and they obey him."
    Jesus reprimands the disciples for lacking enough faith to pray and believe for a miracle. The problem with the
disciples is that they are still looking at Jesus as a man. This is God the Son in the body of a man. Jesus created the wind and the waves, and
He had control of them, because they were His creation. They must obey their creator.
    Luke 8:26  "And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee."
    Location is really not the important thing here. It is the miracle Jesus does.
    Luke 8:27 "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no
clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs."
    Demon spirits would be more prevalent around graveyards, because they departed the dead and looked for another body to dwell in. This
man living in the tombs has received inside himself many of these disembodied spirits. His torment from these evil spirits has been so great
that probably somewhere along the way he tore his clothes from his body.  No one tried to cure people who were thought to be insane.  They
just drove them off, and they lived wherever they could.
    Luke 8:28 "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."
    These demons recognized Jesus because they had lived in heaven with Him before their fall when they followed Lucifer. They know they
have a terrible fate awaiting them at the end. This is really not the man speaking to Jesus, but these terrible spirits in the man.
    Luke 8:29 "(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 brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)"
    This man had been so tormented that the town's people had chained him. He had broken the chains and run to the tombs in the wilderness.
Jesus commands this evil spirit to come out of him. A fetter is a shackle for the feet.
    Luke 8:30 "And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him."
    A legion is 2,000 or a whole regiment. Jesus was speaking to the head demon in this man, not the man.
    Luke 8:31 "And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep."
    The one place these demon spirits do not want to go is into the deep. Jesus can command them to go wherever He wants to, and they must
obey.
    Luke 8:32 "And there was there an 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."
    A demon's first choice of a body to dwell in is a man's but if they cannot inhabit a man, their next choice is an animal.
    Luke 8:33 "Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the
lake, and were choked."
    These swine became mad, too, when these demon spirits went into them, and they ran into the sea and drowned themselves.
    Luke 8:34 "When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country."
    They were so shocked that they told everyone they saw of this strange miracle.
    Luke 8:35 "Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed,
sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid."
    Luke 8:36 "They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed."
    This man had been a terror to all of them, and now he is completely sane, fully dressed, sitting at the Master's feet. His love and gratitude
were great toward Jesus who had delivered him.  The people were afraid, because none of their holy men were capable of doing this type of
miracle. They have realized that Jesus is no mere man.
    Luke 8:37  "Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they
were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again."
    This fear that gripped these people was probably fear of their sins being found out. Many of them were owners of herds of swine. They,
also, were afraid Jesus might convert them to Christianity. He had more power than they were prepared to face. If a person then or now does
not want salvation, Jesus will not force Himself upon them.
    Luke 8:38 "Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away,
saying,"
    Luke 8:39 "Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published
throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him."
    This man wants to be near the Great One who has set him free. Jesus tells him to go to the ones who had seen him in his terrible state of
insanity and show them the wonderful miracle God has done for him.
   Luke 8:40 "And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him."
    This is probably the same crowd that He had left when He went across the sea.
    Luke 8:41  "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:"
    Luke 8:42 "For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him."
    She is an only daughter. Her father obviously loves her very much. Jairus is probably an orthodox Jew and probably a very well to do man.
Being a ruler of the synagogue would carry distinction with it.  Jairus has heard of the miracles Jesus had done, and he believes. Jairus
humbles himself by falling at Jesus' feet. This daughter was near death but the people crowded Jesus so as to make it difficult to go.
    Luke 8:43  "And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be
healed of any,"
    Luke 8:44 "Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched."
    A desperate woman, sick for 12 years, had spent all of her money going to doctors who could not heal her. This type of illness would have
kept her from going to the temple. It was really by Mossaic law illegal for her to touch any holy thing. This woman's faith in reaching out and
touching Jesus' garment was greater than her fear of being punished. Her faith, when she touched the hem of Jesus' garment, healed her
instantly. Her faith in Jesus Christ healed her.
    Luke 8:45 "And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude
throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?"
    Peter does not realize the touch of faith had flowed healing virtues from Jesus to her.
    Luke 8:46 "And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me."
    This woman believed in her heart if she could touch even the hem of His garment, she would be healed. Her great faith caused the
goodness (virtue) of God to flow out to her and heal her. Jesus knew, because He felt the flow of goodness from Him to her.
    Luke 8:47 "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."
    What she had done was against the law, and she could be severely punished for touching this Holy man while she had this issue of blood.
She was afraid but nothing could be worse than the state she had been in for 12 years. She humbled herself before Jesus (fell down before
Him) and tells what happened.
    Luke 8:48 "And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace."
    The name "daughter" shows that He claims her for His own. Jesus is the King of peace. He always brings peace to those who have faith in
Him.
    Luke 8:49  "While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead;
trouble not the Master."
    They bring bad news that his daughter is dead. They believe there is no reason to tell Jesus since she is already dead.
    Luke 8:50 "But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole."
    Jesus quickly reassures this parent that his daughter will live. One of the greatest messages Jesus brought him and us is: "Fear not, have
faith".
    Luke 8:51 "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."
    For this type of miracle to take place, you do not need doubters present.
    Luke 8:52 "And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth."
    In those days there were paid mourners. They were already there crying for her. Jesus says, "Stop this mourning, she is not dead, but
asleep".
    Luke 8:53 "And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead."
    She had been pronounced dead by the attending physicians. Who is this man to argue with the physician?
    Luke 8:54 "And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise."
    Jesus said, "Maid, arise". Just one touch of the Saviour's hand brings new life to this little girl.
    Luke 8:55 "And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat."
    The life is in the spirit. While the spirit was out of this little girl, she had no life. When her spirit re-entered her body, she was alive again.
Jesus ordered them to give her meat. Something to give her strength.
    Luke 8:56 "And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done."
    At this point, there were so many people following Jesus that they thronged Him wherever He went. If it got out that He raised this girl
from the dead, it would get even worse.