Luke 8

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Jesus preaches the kingdom of God, teaches the parable of the sower, and defines his spiritual family. He demonstrates divine power by calming a storm and casting out a legion of devils from a man into swine. The chapter concludes with two significant healings: a woman with a twelve-year issue of blood and the raising of Jairus's daughter from the dead.

Jesus’ Itinerant Ministry and Supporters 1–3

And it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good tidings of the kingdom of God, and with him the twelve,

and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary that was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

and Joanna the wife of Chuzas Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered unto them of their substance.

The Parable of the Sower 4–15

And when a great multitude came together, and they of every city resorted unto him, he spake by a parable:

The sower went forth to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden under foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it.

And other fell on the rock; and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

And other fell amidst the thorns; and the thorns grew with it, and choked it.

And other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit a hundredfold. As he said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to the rest in parables; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

And those by the way side are they that have heard; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved.

And those on the rock are they who, when they have heard, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

And that which fell among the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

And that in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast, and bring forth fruit with patience.

The Purpose of Light and Hearing 16–18

And no man, when he hath lighted a lamp, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but putteth it on a stand, that they that enter in may see the light.

For nothing is hid, that shall not be made manifest; nor anything secret, that shall not be known and come to light.

Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he thinketh he hath.

Jesus Defines His True Family 19–21

And there came to him his mother and brethren, and they could not come at him for the crowd.

And it was told him, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.

But he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these that hear the word of God, and do it.

Jesus Calms a Storm 22–25

Now it came to pass on one of those days, that he entered into a boat, himself and his disciples; and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake: and they launched forth.

But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.

And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. And he awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And being afraid they marvelled, saying one to another, Who then is this, that he commandeth even the winds and the water, and they obey him?

Healing the Gerasene Demoniac 26–39

And they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is over against Galilee.

And when he was come forth upon the land, there met him a certain man out of the city, who had demons; and for a long time he had worn no clothes, and abode not in any house, but in the tombs.

And 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 the Most High God? I beseech thee, torment me not.

For he was commanding the unclean spirit to come out from the man. For oftentimes it had seized him: and he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters; and breaking the bands asunder, he was driven of the demon into the deserts.

And Jesus asked him, What is thy name? And he said, Legion; for many demons were entered into him.

And they entreated him that he would not command them to depart into the abyss.

Now there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they entreated him that he would give them leave to enter into them. And he gave them leave.

And the demons came out from the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd rushed down the steep into the lake, and were drowned.

And when they that fed them saw what had come to pass, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country.

And they went out to see what had come to pass; and they came to Jesus, and found the man, from whom the demons were gone out, sitting, clothed and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus: and they were afraid.

And they that saw it told them how he that was possessed with demons was made whole.

And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them; for they were holden with great fear: and he entered into a boat, and returned.

But the man from whom the demons were gone out prayed him that he might be with him: but he sent him away, saying,

Return to thy house, and declare how great things God hath done for thee. And he went his way, publishing throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done for him.

Jairus’s Daughter and the Woman Healed 40–56

And as Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him; for they were all waiting for him.

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 to come into his house;

for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went the multitudes thronged him.

And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any,

came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately the issue of her blood stanched.

And Jesus said, Who is it that touched me? And when all denied, Peter said, and they that were with him, Master, the multitudes press thee and crush thee.

But Jesus said, Some one did touch me; for I perceived that power had gone forth from me.

And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people for what cause she touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Teacher.

But Jesus hearing it, answered him, Fear not: only believe, and she shall be made whole.

And when he came to the house, he suffered not any man to enter in with him, save Peter, and John, and James, and the father of the maiden and her mother.

And all were weeping, and bewailing her: but he said, Weep not; for she is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.

But he, taking her by the hand, called, saying, Maiden, arise.

And her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately: and he commanded that something be given her to eat.

And her parents were amazed: but he charged them to tell no man what had been done.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Luke 8

Verse 1

preaching and shewing the glad tidings — Kerusso is to herald as a public crier; euangelizo is to bring good news. Both describe the circuit of every 'city and village' (diodeuo, to travel through), as in 'preaching the gospel of the kingdom' (Matt 4:23), with 'the twelve' alongside.

Verse 2

Mary called Magdalene — Magdalene means a woman of Magdala. She is named first among the women healed of 'evil spirits and infirmities', and is the one 'out of whom he had cast seven devils' (Mark 16:9). She is named again at the cross (Matt 27:56) and the tomb (Luke 24:10).

Verse 3

Joanna the wife of Chuza — Epitropos, a steward or domestic manager, of 'Herod's' household. Joanna appears in Luke again among the women at the tomb (Luke 24:10); Susanna is named only here. They 'ministered' (diakoneo) 'of their substance' (hyparchonta, possessions), the support of Jesus' journeys.

Verse 10

the mysteries of the kingdom of God — Musterion is a secret made known; 'it is given' to the disciples to know it. 'Seeing they might not see' draws on Isa 6:9, 'Hear ye indeed, but understand not'. The parallel is Mark 4:11, 'unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables'.

Verse 15

an honest and good heart — Kalos and agathos, 'good' twice over: fair in character and good in effect. The hearers 'keep' the word (katecho, hold fast) and bear fruit 'with patience' (hypomone, enduring), unlike the rocky ground that 'fall away' in temptation (v.13). Compare Heb 10:36.

Verse 16

setteth it on a candlestick — The 'candle' is lychnos, a portable lamp, and the 'candlestick' lychnia, its stand. The saying is repeated in Luke 11:33 and Matt 5:15; in Matthew the light is the disciples' good works (Matt 5:16). Here it follows the parable: the word received is to give light to 'they which enter in'.

Verse 17

nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest — The saying recurs with the same sense in Mark 4:22, and in Luke 12:2 with the addition 'neither hid, that shall not be known'. In this place it follows the lamp of v.16: what is now veiled in parables (v.10) is meant to come 'abroad'.

Verse 18

Take heed therefore how ye hear — 'Take heed' is blepo, to look carefully. The ground of the warning is the rule 'whosoever hath, to him shall be given', repeated in Matt 25:29 and Luke 19:26. 'Seemeth to have' (dokeo) marks a possession that was only apparent, and is lost.

Verse 21

hear the word of God, and do it — Christ answers the word that his mother and brethren 'stand without' (v.20). Luke 11:27–28 gives the same teaching: 'Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.' In Mark 3:35 it is 'whosoever shall do the will of God', and James 1:22 adds 'doers of the word'.

Verse 23

a storm of wind on the lake — Lailaps is a whirlwind or squall; Luke calls the water a 'lake' (limne), not a sea. 'Fell asleep' (aphypnoo) occurs only here in the New Testament. The scene recalls Ps 107:25, where the LORD 'raiseth the stormy wind', and v.29, 'He maketh the storm a calm'.

Verse 25

Where is your faith? — Luke's form of the rebuke; Mark 4:40 has 'how is it that ye have no faith?' The disciples' question, 'What manner of man is this!', is answered by the Psalms: the LORD 'maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still' (Ps 107:29). 'Commandeth' is epitasso, to give orders.

Verse 26

the country of the Gadarenes — The country is named for Gadara, a town east of the Jordan. Mark 5:1 has the same name, Matt 8:28 'Gergesenes'. Mark 5:20 places the man's later preaching in Decapolis, the region east of the lake. 'Over against Galilee' is antiperan, on the opposite shore.

Verse 30

Legion — Legeon, a Latin loan-word for the Roman regiment. The explanation, 'because many devils were entered into him', is Mark 5:9, 'for we are many'. Christ speaks elsewhere of 'twelve legions of angels' (Matt 26:53), the multitude of heaven set against the multitude of the unclean spirits.

Verse 31

the deep — Abyssos, 'depthless', the abyss. It is found in Luke only here; Rom 10:7 uses it for the place of the dead, and Rev 9:1 speaks of 'the key of the bottomless pit', Rev 20:1–3 of Satan bound there. The spirits beg not to be sent to the place of their confinement.

Verse 37

besought him to depart from them — The reason given is 'great fear' (phobos), not hostility to the man's cure; Matt 8:34 says 'the whole city' made the request. Christ does not stay, though he had come for this one man: he 'went up into the ship, and returned back again'.

Verse 39

shew how great things God hath done unto thee — Christ refused the man's request to be 'with him' (v.38) and gave him a commission instead. Christ's words credit 'God'; the man 'published' (kerusso, the herald's word of v.1) what 'Jesus' had done, so naming Jesus as God's act. Mark 5:20 places this in Decapolis.

Verse 40

the people gladly received him — Apodechomai, to welcome fully; they 'were all waiting for him' (prosdokao, to look for). The welcome on the Galilean shore stands against the request to depart in v.37, and leads at once to the two cases of Jairus and the woman (vv.41–48).

Verse 41

Jairus… a ruler of the synagogue — Archon of the synagoge, an officer in charge of its order; the Greek name Iaeiros is the Hebrew Jair. Mark 5:22 also gives his name. Luke 13:14 shows another ruler hostile to Jesus; this one fell 'at Jesus' feet' and asked him into his house.

Verse 43

an issue of blood twelve years — A flow of blood, rhysis, made a woman unclean under Lev 15:25, 'all the days of the issue of her uncleanness'. The twelve years match the age of Jairus' daughter (v.42). She 'had spent all her living' (bios, livelihood) on physicians; Mark 5:26 adds she 'grew worse'.

Verse 44

the border of his garment — Kraspedon, a fringe or tassel. Israel was commanded to 'make them fringes in the borders of their garments' with 'a ribband of blue' (Num 15:38; Deut 22:12). She came 'behind him', and the flow 'stanched' at once (parachrema, immediately).

Verse 46

virtue is gone out of me — 'Virtue' is dynamis, power. Luke had already said that 'there went virtue out of him, and healed them all' (Luke 6:19). The question of v.45 is thus not for lack of knowledge: he distinguishes the touch of faith from the pressing of the 'multitude'.

Verse 48

Daughter, be of good comfort — 'Daughter' (thygater) answers the woman's fear in v.47; Matt 9:22 and Mark 5:34 record the same address. 'Made thee whole' is sozo, to save or heal; he used it in Luke 7:50 also, 'Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.'

Verse 50

Fear not: believe only — Pisteue monon, 'only believe'. Mark 5:36 has the same charge: 'Be not afraid, only believe.' The message of death (v.49) is met by a call to trust, as in John 11:40, 'if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God'. 'Made whole' is sozo, the verb of v.48.

Verse 52

she is not dead, but sleepeth — Katheudo, to sleep. Christ uses the same figure of Lazarus, 'Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him' (John 11:11), whom the disciples took literally (v.12). 'Bewailed' is kopto, to beat the breast in grief; the mourners' laughter in v.53 follows.

Verse 56

he charged them that they should tell no man — Parangello, to give strict orders; so also after the cleansing of the leper (Luke 5:14), and the contrast is the Gadarene's commission (v.39). Mark 5:43 has the same charge here, with the instruction 'that something should be given her to eat'.