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Luke Chapter 8

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Luke 8 Outline:
8:1-3      Women contribute to the ministry of Jesus.
8:4-15    The parable of the Sower.
8:16-18  The parable of the lamp and the cover.
8:19-21  The mother and brothers of Jesus seek Him out.
8:22-25  The calming of the storm.
8:26-39  The Gerasene demoniac.
8:40-41  Jairus comes to Jesus with a request.
8:42-48  The woman with the hemorrhage touches Jesus.
8:49-56  Jairus’ daughter is raised from death.

Fun Facts:
— Matthew 13 contains the largest collection of Jesus’ parables.
— There was an inner circle of Peter, James, and John that were with Jesus at special times. They were with Him when He resurrected the daughter of Jairus. They were on the Mount of Transfiguration. 

Study Notes:
The women that followed Jesus:
— Luke 8:1: Jesus goes on a preaching tour through cities and villages now preaching in open air to all that would listen. There is no mention of synagogues and it could be because of the increasing jealousy and hostility of the religious leaders there. 

— The rabbis refused to teach women who were usually uneducated and given an inferior place. Jesus included them, taught them and they followed Him and supported His ministry (8:3). Jesus included the ones that the synagogue rejected. His ministry following was built of outcasts. 

— The Gospels do not record a woman ever taking action against Jesus, all of His enemies were men.

— The ministry of Jesus was supported by those that followed Him, out of their own possessions. This is interesting as the scripture tells us that they shared a common purse, they bought food, they helped the poor, but no one else mentions where the money came from. Luke said that it came from His followers (8:3). It would have been great to sow into that ministry…

— The text mentions Mary, who was called Magdalene, which refers to a place and means “of Magdala.” Jesus delivered her of seven demons that lived inside of her. Though many have a vision of Mary being a beautiful sinful woman that Jesus saved from a life of immorality, there is nothing in the text that says that. It infers more of mental or physical disorder. We do not have to act on the bad thoughts living inside of you, though it seems a part of we would like to. The Lord can set us free from it. 

— Do demons still make their habitat in people? Yep.

The Parable of the Sower:
— The Palestinian sower would sow the seed first, then plough the ground, burying the seed. 

— The seed that was sown along the road would not have been plowed and the birds would eat it. Jesus said that these were the ones that “heard” the word, but took no action on it and the enemy came and took the word from their heart so they would not believe it or be saved. Hearers, but not doers. 

— The seed that fell upon rock would have no depth of soil to grow in. When the sun got hot, it would wither. Jesus said that these would be ones that received the word with joy, but had no deep roots. When trials or temptation comes, they would fall away.

— The seed that fell among thorns: weeds and thorns grow faster than crops and will block the sunlight. Jesus said that these represent the ones have heard the word, have potential and really mean to do it, but the cares of this world, riches and the pleasures of life choke it and they never bear fruit. 

— Some seed fell on good ground and brought forth fruit, some thirty, some sixty and some a hundred fold. Jesus said that this represents those that have an honest and good heart, who hear the word and hold to it tightly, and bring forth fruit with patience.

— Everyone heard the word, but there were so many different reactions to it. 75%, or 3 out of 4, brought forth nothing at all because they were not serious about it, or too busy. Even those that were considered good ground brought forth varying levels of return. A very small amount managed to bring the hundred fold. It makes you think. 

The Parable of the lamp:
— Lamps are meant to give light and not be hidden. To hide a lamp would be to defeat its purpose. The followers of Jesus must let their light shine and not be ashamed of it. Even a small light is bright in darkness. Jesus gave a clear warning that whoever is ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of when He returns (Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26). Stand firm in your faith and do not hide it. 

— (18) To who has, more will be given: If we use what God has given us, gifts, talents, resources, then it will increase. If we do not then it will be taken away. Compare with the parable of the ten servants in Luke 19:12. 

The family of Jesus seek Him out:
— The mother of Jesus and His brothers came to see Jesus but could not get to Him because of the crowd of people around Him. The family sort of had a claim to Jesus and hints of possessiveness. Jesus explained that His family was now the family of God, and that those that hear the word of God and do it. His duty to God came first in His life, even before family, not family before God. 

Jesus calmed the storm:
— (Luke 8:22) As they crossed the Sea of Galilee, Jesus slept and a storm came down on them. Jesus was a man and slept just like us. When the boat started to sink, they woke Jesus up and He rebuked the storm and it became calm. Jesus had power over nature. How did He use this power: He spoke the words in faith and things happened. Jesus implied that they should have trusted Him and not been terrified with “Where is your faith?” You never see fear and faith working together, they always work against each other and you will have one or the other. 

The Gerasene demoniac:
— When they landed on shore, they were met by a naked man with great strength who often broke the chains that held him. When Jesus asked his name, he replied “Legion.” Now a Roman legion was about 6,000 soldiers. There were “many” demons in this man. When Jesus told them to come out, they asked Him to not send them into the “Abyss”  (Rev 20:1) which is a place of confinement for spirits where satan himself will go. Rather than live without a body (Matt 12:43), they asked Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs grazing near by. When a spirit is without a body, it has no rest. The pigs rushed down a steep bank and were drowned in the sea. The man and the town were freed from the demons and he was instructed to share what God had done for him, share his testimony. Everyone knew this man had been demon possessed, and now he was delivered. It would be a powerful witness to the power of God and the ministry of Jesus to those that knew him, a bit like us.  

The daughter of Jairus:
— Matthew 9:18, Mark 5:21, Luke 8:40 cover the story of Jairus’ daughter. Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue and orchestrated the synagogue services, like who would lead in prayer, read the Scriptures and preach. He was a leader in the community and he prostrated himself before Jesus. His daughter was about twelve years old and dying and Jairus asked Jesus to come and heal her. Jesus went, but on the way a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years reached out and touched the hem of His cloak and was instantly healed. She said in herself, “If I could just touch Him I would be healed.” She did, and she was. Her faith in the supreme power of God healed her body. Her issue would have been embarrassing to share. It was an “unspoken” request. Yet Jesus had her share her testimony of what had happened after she was healed. Personal testimony is powerful. It is interesting that the girl was twelve years old and the woman had been suffering for twelve years. 

Jesus went on to the house of Jairus and only allowed three of His disciples to come in with Him, Peter, James and John. Jesus said that the girl merely slept though she was cold as stone dead and everyone ridiculed Him. Death to people is no more than sleep to Jesus; it is not a permanent state. When He took her by the hand and spoke, her spirit returned and she rose up.





Study Questions: (if your answers are very long, you may want to type them first in something like Word or Notepad, which doesn't require an Internet connection, then copy and paste (Ctrl-A to select, Ctrl-V to copy, Ctrl-V to paste), to prevent mishaps.  Also, there is a 3K character limit, so if they are super long, feel free to post more than once, and just answer a couple of questions at a time. Also, you are welcome to post any questions you may have. We look forward to your thoughts!)

1. In the parable of the sower, Jesus described several scenarios that could happen when hearing the word of God. Each day provides opportunities for us to apply God’s word, both through scripture and His daily direction. How can we better prepare ourselves to be the “good soil” that will hold onto His guidance and bear mature fruit?

2. The parable of the lamp encourages us to let our light shine for all to see. Consider the “light” that the Lord has given to each of us through His scripture, His daily guidance, the gifts He has given us, the experiences and testimonies He has allowed us to have, etc. In what ways can we better shine our light for those around us?

3. When Jesus and the disciples were caught in a storm, the Lord was calm enough to be able to sleep through it and even rebuked His disciples for panicking. We are all taken through the storms of life at times. Financial difficulties, family strife, illnesses and even the death of loved ones, can all take their toll. What are the qualities in Jesus that allowed him to stay at rest during the storm and even to stop the winds? In what way can we nurture those qualities in ourselves?

4. In the country of Gerasenes, Jesus freed a man from a legion of demons that tormenting him. Likewise, in Luke 8:2, it was written that Mary Magdalene had been freed from seven demons. What are your thoughts on the modern-day application of these situations?

5. The woman with the discharge of blood was healed immediately upon touching Jesus’ garment. The Lord declared that it was her faith that had made her well. In the crowd, there were many who were also touching Him at the same time. What was it about this woman that made her different and what can we learn from her?