Several Women Support Christ’s Mission
Luke 8After this, he traveled around through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Empire of God. The twelve were with him and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna the wife of Chuzas (Herod’s house manager), Susanna, and many others who provided for them from their resources.
The Parable of the Sower
When a large crowd came together and people from every town were traveling to him, he spoke to them in a parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed the seed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it. Other seed fell on the rocky ground, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Other seed fell on the good soil and grew and produced a crop one hundred times as much.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!”
Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”
He said, “The mysteries of the Empire of God have been given to y’all to know, but to the others, it is given in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’+Isa 6:9
“Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the road are those who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who hear the word with joy when they hear it, but have no root. They believe for a while, but fall away in the time of temptation. The see that fell among the thorns, are those who have heard, but as they go on their way, they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, so they bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed that fell on the excellent ground, these are the ones who have an honest and excellent heart, who hear the word, hold it tightly, and through perseverance, produce fruit.
A Lamp on a Stand
“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to be recognized. Therefore, y’all should listen carefully. For whoever has will be given more, and whoever doesn’t have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
Jesus’s Mother and Brothers
Now Jesus’s mother and brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd. Some people told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”
But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Nature Obeys Its Creator
One day, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. As they were sailing, he fell asleep. A fierce wind storm came down on the lake, and they began to take on water and were in great danger. They went and woke Jesus, saying, “Master, Master, we are going to die!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and then they ceased, and all was calm. He said to them, “Where is y’all’s faith?”
They were terrified and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who even is this? He commands the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
The Demons Obey the Lord
Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, a man from the town who had demons came to meet him. He had not worn clothing for a long time, and did not live in a house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, shouting with a loud voice, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. It has seized him many times, and he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, but he would break the bonds, and the demon would drive him into deserted places.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. They begged him that he would not order them to go into the abyss.
Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the swine, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and reported this in the town and countryside.
So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’s feet, dressed and in his right mind—and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been made well. Then all the people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, for they were very gripped by great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home and tell the story of what great things God has done for you.” He set off, proclaiming throughout the whole town what great things Jesus had done for him.
Jesus Offers Healing and Resurrection to Two Women
When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. A man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came and fell down at Jesus’s feet, begging him to come into his house, because his one and only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. But as Jesus was on his way, the crowd pressed against him. A woman was there who had been hemorrhaging blood for twelve years, but could not be healed by anyone. She came behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped.
Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
When they all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on you.”
But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, for I knew that power has gone out from me.” When the woman saw that she could not go unnoticed, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she openly shared why she had touched him, and how she had been healed instantly. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue official’s house came and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t trouble the Teacher anymore.”
But when Jesus heard this, he said to him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
When he arrived at the house, Jesus didn’t allow anyone to go in with him, except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother. Everyone was crying and mourning for her, but he said, “Y’all stop crying. She is not dead, but is asleep.”
They began laughing at him, because they knew she was dead. But he took her by the hand, and said, “Child, arise!” Her spirit returned, and she immediately got up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.