|
The Gospel of Luke Chapter Eight
Commentary by Timothy H. Burdick
We left off in Luke 7:50 with Jesus
telling the woman who had been forgiven, to “go in peace.”
It is interesting to think about what a large part that
women played in the ministry of Jesus as reflected in the
Gospels. Usually what they did, while of vital importance,
was often behind the scenes. As an example, look with me at
Luke 8:1-3, where it says, "After this, Jesus traveled about
from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good
news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and
also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and
diseases: Mary called Magdalene from whom seven demons had
come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s
household; Susanna; and many others. These women were
helping to support Jesus (financially) and the others out of
their own means."
In Verse 4, we read about a large
crowd that was gathering and people were coming to Jesus
from town-after-town. He responded to them with a parable.
Just an aside before looking at the parable - I think that
it’s important to note the following. Since Jesus was in an
agricultural setting, He aimed His message toward precisely
that group of people. I think we would do well to learn from
His example, gearing our messages to those we speak to. Now,
let’s look at what He had to say in Verse 5 and forward: “A
farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the
seed some fell along the path. It was trampled on, and the
birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it
came up, it withered because it had no moisture. Other seed
fell among thorns, which choked the plants. Still other seed
fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop a hundred
times more than was sown.” When He finished this parable, He
called out in Verse 8, “He who has ears to hear let him
hear.”
His disciples asked Him what this
parable meant. He said in Verse 10, ”The knowledge of the
secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to
others I speak in parables, So that though seeing, they may
not see; though hearing, they may not understand.” Before we
look at what Jesus was saying in verses 11 and following,
the reference that Jesus was quoting was Isaiah 6:9 which
says, ”go and tell this people: be ever hearing, but never
understanding; Be ever seeing, but never perceiving.”
In verses 11 through 15 of Luke 8,
we have Jesus’ explanation of this parable. “This is the
meaning of the parable,” He said. “The seed is the word of
God. Those along the path are the ones who hear and then the
devil takes away the Word from their hearts, so that they
may not believe and be saved. Those 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 the time of
testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns
stands for those who hear but as they go on their way they
are choked by strife, worries, riches and pleasures, and
they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for
those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain
it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Jesus was talking
about four different kinds of people in this parable. After
some self-examination, ask yourself this question: which one
of them represents you?
In Verses 16 through 18, Jesus said,
“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under
a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who
come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that
will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not
be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider
carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more;
whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be
taken from him.”
This matter of LISTENING is all
important. For what we pay attention to dictates what we
think about and who we are. Many times people build their
lives on premises that are false. Jesus made it clear that
these false values and beliefs would be taken away from
people and that only God’s Truth in us will stand the test
of time.
In Verses 19-21, Jesus spoke about
the close relationship that His followers can experience:
“Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they
were not able to get near Him because of the crowd. Someone
told Him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside,
wanting to see you.’” He replied, “My mother and Brothers
are those who hear God’s Word and put it into practice.”
There are two things in these verses that I want us to look
at. I mentioned above the extremely close and vibrant
relationship that we can have with Christ. Have you ever
thought about what this means for you? More than just being
saved, you can begin to see yourself as a person of value
and worth to God.
Here are just a couple of examples
in Scripture which speak to this. Romans 8:17 says, “Now if
we are children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with
Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that
we may also share in His glory.” In a similar vein, David in
Psalm 139:17 said, “How precious to me are Your thoughts, O
God! How vast is the sum of them!”
Jesus also talked about the importance of putting His Word
into practice. Many times we talk about our relationship
with Christ, but our lives don’t back up what we say. Do you
try to witness through your life? Here are two Scriptures
which talk about this. “Do not merely listen to the Word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).
Also, Psalms 1:2 says, “But his delight is in the law of the
Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” When you
hear something, it become a part you think about and what
you think about becomes what you do and what you are.
All of us can relate to Luke
8:22-25, “One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go
over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat
and set out onto the Sea of Galilee. As they sailed, Jesus
fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the
boat was being swamped and they were in great danger. The
disciples went and woke Him saying, “Master, Master, we’re
going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind, and the
raging waters, the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where
is your faith?” He asked His disciples in Verse 25. In fear
and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? For He
commands even the winds and the water and they obey Him.”
Have you ever felt like God was sleeping or otherwise not
listening when you have prayed? Maybe now you are in a
dangerous situation which seems hopeless. Like the
disciples, you are filled with fear. But Jesus is asking
today, ”Where is your faith?” (Verse 25). Just remember that
when He asks this question He is asking it in love.
Notice that the text says that Jesus
rebuked the winds and waters (Verse 24). It does not say
that He rebuked the disciples. Look up these four Scriptures
with me, and as you read them, think about the character of
God as expressed in these verses and apply it to your
situation.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 - “For God did
not give us a Spirit of timidity (“fear” in some
translations), but a Spirit of power, of love and of
self-discipline.”
- Secondly Psalms 103:114 says,
”For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we
are dust.”
- Paul also says in first
Corinthians10:13, “No temptation has seized you except
what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not
let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when
you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that
you can stand up under it.” Notice the faithfulness of
God in this Verse.
- Finally look with me at
Lamentations 3:22:23 - “Because of the Lord’s great love
we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
And finally, notice that Jesus and
His disciples made it to the other side of the lake despite
the difficult wind and waves. Though your life may be filled
with turmoil, Jesus is with you and He will see you through.
Like His disciples, I have been amazed many times to see how
He takes a seemingly hopeless situation, and turns it around
for the good.
In Luke 8:26-39, we have the story
about the man who was possessed by demons.
“Then they sailed to the region of
the Gadarenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When
Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man
from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes
or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw
Jesus he cried out and fell at His feet, shouting at the top
of his voice, ‘What do You want with me, Jesus Son of the
Most High God? I beg You Don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had
commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times
it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot
and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been
driven by the demons in to solitary places. Jesus asked him,
‘What is your name?’ ‘Legion’ he replied, because many
demons had gone into him. And they begged Him repeatedly not
to order them to go into the abyss. A large herd of pigs was
feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to
let them go into them and He gave them permission. When the
demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs and the
herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was
drowned. When those tending the pigs saw what had happened,
they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside,
and the people went out to see what had happened. When they
came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had
gone out sitting at Jesus feet, dressed and in his right
mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the
people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all
the people of the region of the Gadarenes asked Jesus to
leave them because they were overcome with fear. So He got
into the boat and left. The man from whom the demons had
gone out begged to go with Him, But Jesus sent him away,
saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for
you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much
Jesus had done for him.”
This is quite an amazing
transformation wouldn’t you say? The man went from being
homeless and living in a graveyard to sitting at the feet of
Jesus. Mark tells us more about Satan’s hold on this man.
Mark 5:5 says, “Night and day among the tombs and in the
hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” Many
people don’t think of the devil as a real being. This was
not the case when it came to Jesus. He did recognize the
reality of Satan. In Luke 10:18 for example, He replied, “I
saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” We see in the
Scriptures that Satan is a master deceiver, and getting men
and women to think he is just a myth is the biggest
deception of all. The man in this account also knew of
Satan’s reality. The demon said to Jesus through the man, “I
beg You, don’t torture me.”
We spoke above about the
transformation of this man. Jesus is still in the business
of changing lives. When Jesus asked the demon-possessed man
his name, as we saw above the man responded that his name
was “legion.” The Roman Legion was the most feared group in
the Empire and in the world. It is interesting that when the
people asked Jesus to leave, He did so, but turned down the
request of the now-delivered man to go with Him.
Sometimes it is hard to go back home
and tell family and friends who know you how God has changed
your life. In any case, we see that the man was faithful.
For the end of the narrative shows him doing just what Jesus
said. That brings up an interesting point. It would have
been more glamorous for the man to follow Jesus. Are you and
I faithful when things are not glamorous? The priest
Zerubbabel had the dream of rebuilding God’s temple. It
didn’t look like it would happen, but in the book of
Zechariah, God said that it would happen. Furthermore He
said, “Who despises the day of small things? Men will
rejoice when they see the plumb line in the Hand of
Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of the Lord which range
throughout the earth.”
In other words if you have a dream
in your heart that you believe God is calling you to
complete, don’t give up because nothing seems to be
happening. Be faithful in the small things like the man in
this story who went back home to the place of the Gadarenes.
Finally, Jesus said this in Matthew 25:21 about this
incident, “His master replied, ‘well done good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will
put you in charge of many things. Come and share your
master’s happiness.’”
In the following verses in Luke
(Verse 40 & following), we have two stories that are told
simultaneously. Please look with me at Luke 8:40-56; ”Now
when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed Him, for they were all
expecting Him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the
synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him
to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of
about twelve was dying. As Jesus was on His way, the crowds
almost crushed Him. And a woman was there who had been
subject to bleeding for twelve years, and she had spent all
she had on doctors but no one could heal her. She came up
behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak, and
immediately her bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When
they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are
crowding and pressing against You.” But Jesus said, “Someone
touched me; I know that power has gone out from Me.” Then
the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came
trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the
people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had
been instantly healed. Then He said to her, “Daughter your
faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
While Jesus was still speaking, some
one came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler.
Verse 49 - “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother
the Teacher any more.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus,
“Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
When He arrived at the house of Jairus, He did not let any
go in with Him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s
father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing
and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is
not dead but asleep” (Verse 52).
They laughed at Him, knowing that
she was dead. But He took her by the hand and said in Verse
54, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned and at once she
stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
Her parents were astonished, but He ordered them not to tell
any one what had happened.” When contrasting this story with
that of the demon-possessed man, it is interesting that no
one welcomed Jesus on the other side of the lake, except for
that one man. Now however, Jesus is being thronged. First we
see the ruler of the synagogue falling down at the feet of
Jesus, pleading with Him to heal his daughter. As He was on
the way to the ruler’s house though, He was being pushed and
shoved by a huge crowd.
In order to picture this, you might
think of a shopping mall around Christmas. With people
bumping into Him, an unnoticed woman sneaks up from behind.
She lightly touches the fringe of His cloak, but in all the
chaos with people on all sides He felt power leave Him.
There was something different about her touch that set it
apart from the bumping of the crowd. Hers was in fact the
touch of faith. Many times people try and touch God through
good works, etc, but it is only the touch of faith that
releases God’s power to live a new life.
Jesus called people to public
confession and at this point – “Who touched Me?” He asked in
Verse 45. Read Matthew 10:32 - “Whoever acknowledges Me
before Men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in
heaven.”
After the woman’s confession of
faith in Verse 47, Jesus went on. I’m sure He must have been
both physically and emotionally tired. When d the woman
touched Him, He had power go out of Him which must have
drained Him. When they got close to the house, someone
called out that they need not bother Jesus, as the child was
dead (Verse 49). There are always distracting voices that
would try and dissuade us from taking our stand for the
Lord. Jesus did not listen, but went on anyway. Today He is
saying by word and example: Go on to do what God has called
you to do, only believe.
Thank you for joining me. Next time
we will be in Luke Chapter 9.
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
_________________________________________________
To Subscribe or
Unsubscribe to the weekly e-mailings of Sermons and Bible
Studies from Friday Study Ministries, write to
Ron@FridayStudy.org
|
