Luke 8

The Parable of The Sower, The Calming of A Storm, The Healing of Jairus’ Daughter, and The Healing of A Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Robe

In this section, Luke recorded Jesus’ instruction on a receptive response to truth and multiple miracles  displaying His authority as the Son of God and His power over nature, the spiritual realm, disease, and even death.  Most of this material was also recorded by Matthew and Mark. 

Some Women with Him

The Good News

Vs. 1 - Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God.

This broadly described the theme of Jesus’ preaching. He brought good news to the people, news that God’s Messiah and King was present with them, announcing His kingdom.          - David Guzik

Luke mentioned multiple times up to this point that Jesus’ primary task at this time was “kingdom teaching.”  His illustrations and instruction depicted His will being completed on earth it was in heaven.

Also Women

Vs. 1-2 - The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses

Mary Magdalene (of the town of Magdala), who became a well-known follower (Matthew 27:61), is introduced here.  Joanna, who is also mentioned in 24:10, was married to a man who held a responsible position under Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee.  Nothing else is known of Susanna.          -  A. Boyd Luter

Luke’s mention of the women in this section prepares for his citing them as witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection later. This is Luke’s third recent reference to women who benefited from Jesus’ ministry to them, several of whom responded by ministering to Him.              - Thomas Constable

Traveling around with a religious teacher conflicts strongly with traditional female roles in Jewish society. [Note: Footnote 55: B. Witherington III, Women in the Ministry of Jesus, p. 117.] 

The discipleship of women is conceived as radically as for men-perhaps even more radically, since women of that time were very closely bound to the family-involving a sharp break with social expectations and normal responsibilities.             - Tannehill

The Parable of The Sower (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-29)

Luke omitted reference to the setting for this teaching. It was the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Instead he stressed the large and diverse crowd that Jesus addressed. Perhaps he wanted to picture the crowd as the various types of soil Jesus referred to in this parable.                - Thomas Constable

Unlike Mark 4 and Matthew 13, where entire chapters are devoted to kingdom teaching via parables, Luke concentrates on the one theme of faith both here and in the two short passages that follow.      - Darrel L. Bock

Sower And Seed

Vs. 4-5 - As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed.

The main focus of this parable in all the Synoptics is not on the sower (Jesus and His disciples) or the seed (the Word of God), as important as these are. It is the soils on which the seed falls.            - David Guzik

Parables

Vs. 10 - So he said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that “Looking they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”

The twelve did not fully grasp the meaning of this parable, so they asked Jesus for further explanation.  But before decoding His teaching, Jesus quoted a passage from Isaiah’s prophecy to explain the reason He chose parables over plain speech. 

Isaiah 6:9 - And he replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive.

By quoting this passage from Isaiah 6:9, Jesus explained that His parables were not illustrations making difficult things clear to all who heard. They were a way of presenting God’s message so those who were spiritually sensitive could understand, but the hardened would merely hear a story without heaping up additional condemnation for rejecting God’s Word.             - David Guzik

It seems that one reason Jesus began to teach extensively in parables was to separate those who were genuinely interested from those who were merely curious.                     - Don Fleming

Luke focused the disciples’ question on the one parable he recorded so far. Matthew and Mark had them asking Jesus why He was speaking to the people in parables (plural). The parables intentionally revealed some truth to everyone who heard them, but only Jesus’ disciples, who took a serious interest in their meaning, could understand the deeper significance of what they taught. One of the principles of spiritual growth is that when a person studies revelation, God gives him or her the ability to understand more truth. However when one does not seek to understand it, God hides further truth from him or her.         - Thomas Constable

Meaning

Vs. 11-12 - This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. The seed along the path are those who have heard

The parable of the sower draws its lessons from the four different kinds of soil rather than from the work of the sower. The preacher puts the message of the kingdom into people’s hearts as a farmer puts seed into the ground. But people’s hearts vary just as the soil in different places varies.             - Don Fleming

In this parable, the sower fulfilled his responsibility to plant the seed, but it was the quality of the soil that would determine the final harvest. 

This parable can be both a warning as to how we hear and receive the word of God and an encouragement to banish all despair in the certainty that not all the setbacks can defeat the ultimate harvest of God.                - William Barclay

Perhaps the Jews never conceived of the kingdom message as having such limited success; they expected it to come in apocalyptic power and to rout their enemies.             - Thomas Schreiner

How You Listen

Vs. 18 - Therefore take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.

This paragraph resembles the previous one; Jesus stresses the need for obedience to the preached word. The significance in putting one’s lamp on a stand is probably that the hearers must bear fruit in their listening, for a day will come when what they hear will not be secret any longer; it will shine for all to see.  Receptive and obedient listening will lead to increased understanding, but rejection of the truth will lead to increased incomprehension of the word of God.               - Thomas Schreiner

How a person responds to God’s revelation determines whether he will receive more “light” or lose what he has.  In the end, God will bring everything to light.              - A. Boyd Luter

The sower spread the seed, but not all soil produced fruit-bearing trees.  God had revealed Himself like “light” from a lamp, but some preferred darkness.  So Jesus’ warning was to “listen” carefully, to beware of one’s own resistance to truth. 

Jesus’ Family (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35)

Mother and Brothers

Vs. 19 - Then his mother and brothers came to him, but they could not meet with him because of the crowd.

The children of Mary and Joseph born after Jesus were James, Joseph, Simon, Judas and at least two daughters (Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3). At first they did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, but thought he was suffering from some sort of religious madness (Mark 3:20-21; John 7:3-5).         - Don Fleming

Matthew 13:54-56 - He went to his hometown and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?  Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?  And his sisters, aren’t they all with us?

Mark 3:20-21 - Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”

Those Who Hear And Do

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

Some commentators connect Jesus’ description of true family to the rest of His teaching in this section.  Those who were careful to listen, whose hearts were receptive to truth, would become the true members of Jesus’ diverse spiritual family.

Jesus declares who are truly in the family of Christ: those who hear the word of God and do it. This is the same as the good soil in the parable. The message of this text is to take care how we listen. How you listen to God’s word shows if you are truly one of Jesus’ disciples or not. How you listen shows if you are really in the family of Christ.             - Brent Kercheville 

Jesus must have been saddened to see such an attitude in his brothers and sisters, but he knew that more important than natural relationships were spiritual relationships. All who obey God are related to him and to one another in the vast family of God.                - Don Fleming

Jesus Calms A Storm (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41)

This section is quite similar to Mark’s account. Luke chose miracles that demonstrated Jesus’ power over nature, demons, and illness and death to show Jesus’ authority as the divine Savior.            - Thomas Constable

We Are Going to Die!

Vs. 24 - They came and woke him up, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!”

The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden, violent storms. The severity of this storm is evident in the fact that the disciples (many of which were experienced fishermen on this very sea) were terrified (Mark 4:40).              - David Guzik

Where Is Your Faith?

Vs. 24-25 - Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

From the reader’s perspective, the disciple’s panic may be understandable, even expected.  But Jesus’ rebuke indicated that He was preparing them to trust His sovereignty over every storm. 

Who, Then, Is This?

Vs. 25 - They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him!”

In the span of a few moments, the disciples saw both the complete humanity of Jesus (in His tired sleep) and the fullness of His deity. They saw Jesus for who He is: truly man and truly God.           - David Guzik

This is the first miracle that Luke recorded that did not involve a person. It showed that Jesus had the power of God over nature that God demonstrated in the Exodus.                - Thomas Constable

The whole of Luke’s account has sought to answer this question: “Who is this man?” The Jewish people were looking for a Messiah, for sure, but they were likely expecting a political leader, a physical descendent of King David. So even after all they had witnessed up to this point, they were still puzzled by His power.

Demons Cast into Pigs (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20)

Gadera

Vs. 26 - Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

Jesus and His disciples had just crossed the sea of Galilee and docked near a cluster of ten cities called the Decapolis, and specifically a Gentile town called Gadara.  

A Demon-Possessed Man

Vs. 27-28 - When he got out on land, a demon-possessed man from the town met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes and did not stay in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and said in a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

Upon arrival, they encountered a demon-possessed man who typically wandered among the mountain tombs screaming and cutting himself.  The demons immediately recognized Jesus' true identity and began begging for mercy. 

The demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God and that one day he would judge them, but they were angry that he came to interfere with them before the appointed time.             - Don Fleming

Vs. 30-31 - “What is your name?” Jesus asked him. “Legion,” he said, because many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to banish them to the abyss.

Jesus commanded the man to tell him his name, so that the man might see how great a power of evil had possessed him. The demons saw that judgment was upon them, and begged Jesus not to send them immediately to the place where evil spirits are punished.                 - Don Fleming

The Pigs

Vs. 33 - The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

Luke did not explain Jesus’ reasoning for allowing the demons to enter a herd of pigs, but some commentators suggest that, as a result, everyone present understood their destructive intent. 

He (Jesus) wanted everyone to know what the real intention of these demons was. They wanted to destroy the man just as they destroyed the pigs.               - David Guzik

Great Fear

Vs. 37 - Then all the people of the Gerasene region asked him to leave them, because they were gripped by great fear.

Their fear may have been a superstitious reaction to the supernatural power that had so evidently been in operation. It may also have been associated with the material loss involved in the destruction of the pigs. If so, they saw Jesus as a disturbing person, more interested in saving men than in material prosperity. It was more comfortable to ask Him to go.            - Morris

Tell All

Vs. 38-39 - The man from whom the demons had departed begged him earnestly to be with him. But he sent him away and said, “Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.” And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town how much Jesus had done for him.

Since these people were Gentiles, there was no need for the man to keep quiet about the miracle. Gentiles were not likely to use Jesus’ messiahship for political purposes.              - Don Fleming

We can see the compassion of Jesus here for this man that society had forgotten.  Jesus did not have to dock in this town.  But He took a lot of detours during His ministry to seek out broken and forgotten people. This account speaks to His power over spiritual forces and His love for powerless people.

Healing of Jairus’ Daughter (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:21-24,35-43)

A Man Named Jairus

Vs. 41 - Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue.

Jairus’ position as a synagogue ruler shows that some influential Jewish leaders had believed on Him.      - Thomas Constable

Vs. 42 - he had an only daughter about twelve years old, and she was dying.

The Jewish customs around bereavement were detailed and dramatic, so after Jarius’ daughter died, his house would have been surrounded with mourners of all kinds.  Understandably, they were confused and amused when Jesus told them that the girl was only sleeping. But He saw the situation from a completely different perspective.   

Only Believe

49-50 - While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” When Jesus heard it, he answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.”

Jairus was clearly a man of a stubborn faith. Whatever he felt, he did not wholly accept the verdict of the wailing women; for with his wife he went into the room where the girl lay. He hoped against hope.            - William Barclay

Healing of Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Robe (Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34)

Twelve Years

Vs. 43 - A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors and yet could not be healed by any

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all described the desperation of this unnamed and unwell woman.  Not only was her condition likely painful and persistent, it also rendered her ceremonially unclean, socially and spiritually ostracized.  It was under this duress, after years of searching and suffering, that she braved the crowded streets to find the Healer. 

Vs. 47 - When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched him and how she was instantly healed.

The woman’s embarrassment was undoubtedly due to her illness and to her presumption in mingling with a crowd even though she was ritually unclean. Her falling at Jesus’ feet recalls the sinful woman in Simon the Pharisee’s house (Luke 7:36-50) who had a kindred spirit of thankfulness.             - Thomas Constable

Your Faith Has Saved You

Vs. 48 - “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Jesus carefully connected faith and salvation for both Jairus and this desperate woman.  Their trust had led to transformation, their hope to healing. 

In all this we see how the work of Jesus is different, yet the same among each individual:  (Guzik)

• Jairus had twelve years of sunshine (Luke 8:42) that were about to be extinguished. The woman had twelve years of agony that seemed hopeless to heal.

• Jairus was an important man, the ruler of the synagogue. The woman was a nobody. We don’t even know her name.

• Jairus was probably wealthy, because he was an important man. The woman was poor because she spent all her money on doctors.

• Jairus came publicly. The woman came secretly.

• Jairus thought Jesus had to do a lot to heal his daughter. The woman thought all she needed was to touch Jesus’ garment.

• Jesus responded to the woman immediately. Jesus responded to Jairus after a delay.

• Jairus’ daughter was healed secretly. The woman was healed publicly.

This double miracle brings this section on Jesus’ mighty works to a climax. The point Luke was stressing throughout was the identity of Jesus whom he presented as exercising the prerogatives of deity.            - Thomas Constable