Book of Luke

Luke Chapter 8

• Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

This would heal the world's problems if everyone would have the attitude, "Oh how I love your word, oh God." Wonderful is His name for providing a path that we can follow, for providing a road map that we can see clearly and for never leaving us without a witness to the truth of His word.

• Luke 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, 
• 2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 
• 3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. 
• 4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 

Here is one of my favorite parables for it answers the question that often comes into my mind, "Why doesn't everyone that receive Christ as savior endure enough to bring forth fruit?" "Why do some go back the way they came or return to sin?" This answers that question.

• Luke 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 
• 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 
• 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 
• 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit a hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

For those that grow gardens, we can visualize this parable and know certainly that good seed must be planted in good fertile ground that has been broken up and made soft. We know also that weeds, thorns and rocks will either choke the little seed or else in the case of rock, the seed will not be able to grow roots. 

• Luke 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 
• 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 
• 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 

Every time we sit down to read the word of God, we may represent one type of ground. The word is the seed that the Holy Spirit plants in our inner person as we hear or read the word. 

• Luke 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 

Have we ever seen people sitting in church and hearing but not paying any close attention to the speaking. They are distracted or uninterested? When we read the word, sometimes we get distracted. The phone rings, we start worrying about dinner, our chores or other distractions. In this case though is seems as if the person has heard the gospel for the first time but is taking it lightly or counting it as just another philosophy and of no great importance.

• Luke 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 

This one gets a little better. They are interested in the way of salvation or in the case of one seeking the Lord by the study of the word, they receive it gladly. But when others reject their new found faith or knowledge of the word, they start doubting and fall away from what they believed at first. They have no root that grows into fruitfulness. 

We all have probably seen this type. Even in business. We may start a new job and be so enthusiastic, doing a great job and then trouble comes and it isn't as easy as we thought at first. We then become discouraged and quit without the staying power and determination to work problems out. Some hear the word and share it with others with joy but as soon as they face opposition, criticism or persecution, they get discouraged and quit because they didn't stay the course until they could bring forth fruit. 

• Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 

This is a great description of us today. We have our football, our education, our jobs, our bowling, our swimming, our track teams and our parties, then the word has to take a back seat. Sooner or later that word we heard gets dimmer and dimmer in our memories. Then the sin we were saved from creeps back in. All the cares and pleasures drown us. Our marriages fall apart, our children get rebellious, and we are in a worse condition than before we heard the word.

Why is there so much divorce in the church, young people living together without being married, and people acting just like those that have never heard the gospel. We look just like the world, we talk like the world, we see the same movies, we go to the same places, we divorce our spouses over stupid reasons and we still have the nerve to call ourselves Christians. We spout out, "We are saved by grace and not of works," and then turn around and live like we want instead of walking in the spirit.

At least in the church about fifty years ago, people recognized their backslidden condition and admitted it but today we have people using God's grace to justify their worldliness. This is not what being saved by grace means. 

Being truly saved by grace means that before coming to Christ there is nothing a person can do to inherit eternal life. We can build great hospitals, do missionary word, help the poor and all those good things which we should do but if we don't come to Christ, we are not saved and cannot enter heaven. Everyone of us that has come to the age of accountability have what is called sin. That sin sends us to an eternal hell. Sin separates us from God. Jesus came to pay the price for our sins so that just by believing in Him our sins can be washed away.

This does not mean that we have a license to go back under the bondage of sin and still expect to be saved. That same sin we were saved from can still destroy us if we forsake Christ and go back the way we were before. Yes, we are saved by grace and cannot do anything to save ourselves. Grace is unmerited favor of God to us. He loves us enough to save us without our doing anything to deserve it. After we come to Christ though, we are given the Holy Spirit to abide with us so that we have the power to overcome sin and not go back under its bondage.

We have the power to choose to walk in God's way or return to sin. If we sin after salvation, we must repent, turn around and keep following the Lord. In fact our good works after salvation, show whether or not we are saved. True salvation produces good works. Sin brings us into unbelief. Jesus said that He that believes shall be saved. Naturally if we stop believing it would reverse that.

If we stop having communion and fellowship with the Lord through prayer and the study of His word, unbelief can creep back in and lead to sin.

If it were not possible to be lost after receiving Christ, the Lord would not have said these things and warned that seed on bad ground will not bring forth fruit. Read John 15 for more on this subject. 

• Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. 

This is God's will for all of us. We can be fruitful. We have the word, the Holy Spirit and fellow believers in Jesus Christ to help us. It is all ours for the asking, receiving and living.

• Luke 8:16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. 

If you are around a true faithful believer, you will see this light eventually. If we act, talk, dress and become like the world around us, then our light is not going to shine. 

• Luke 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. 

Nothing is hid from God and all will be made known in the judgment to come if it has not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. 

• Luke 8:18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. 

The word is given to us to grow and be fruitful, not to hide away and be afraid to let anyone know what we believe in. 

• Luke 8:19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. 
• 20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 
• 21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. 

Jesus was not being disrespectful here but only pointing out that those that follow Him by faith is just as important as His own mother and brothers. Those that do the work of God is equal to the blood relatives of Jesus Christ including His mother. I have every respect for Mary but when we come to Jesus Christ, we are the same as Mary. She is wonderful and respected but she is not to be worshipped or prayed to. In fact Mary herself would never want to be worshipped.

The early church did not worship or pray to Mary. This did not come about until much later when the church fell away from the word of God and left their first love mingled with the world around them and even the religions of the heathen.

• Luke 8:22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 
• 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 
• 24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 
• 25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. 

This is another sign that Jesus was God in the flesh. No ordinary man could do these things but a man sent from God. 

• Luke 8:26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 
• 27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. 
• 28 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 God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. 
The devils in the man knew who Jesus was.

• Luke 8:29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he broke the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) 
• 30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 
• 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. 
• 32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. 
• 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 
• 34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 
• 35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 
• 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. 
• 37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. 

The power of God to save the poor man from demon possession was too much for the people of this city to understand. They preferred that Jesus leave. Perhaps they cared more about their animal stock than a man's life also but God's power either frightened them or they didn't want to give up the lifestyle they were living.

We see this today. Some can receive a little of the word of God but do not want anything to do with the power of the Holy Spirit to actually deliver those in bondage to Satan. Yet, that is why Jesus came also. He came to set the captive free. This may cause disruption at times. If a devil comes out of a person, you may hear screaming and someone may fall down. If you are safe in Jesus Christ there is nothing to fear but people all over the world need to be saved, set free, healed and delivered from the bondage of sin.

Some even have demons controlling them and need the power of God to set them free. This will cause trouble. It is easier to stay were we feel safe but then those in bondage will stay that way. Only those sent by God and full of the Holy Ghost can do these works but they must be done or people will not be set free. This is where prayer and fasting comes in. 

As these people did not understand, we too see some denominations misunderstanding and even criticizing others because they don't understand.

Let us be careful not to do this to our brethren. Some have a different calling than others. Some may be called to pastor a small church, others may be used of God to cast out demons and help those in bondage. We may not understand everything we see and hear, but just because everyone does not do things exactly like our own group does not mean that they are not of God.

That is why we have the word to check everything out by. What we have to be watchful of is false doctrine and leaders who are out for themselves and not Jesus Christ; also there are people who are in it for money. Whatever is done must be done to get people free from sin and into Jesus Christ. It must never be done for a sideshow, to glorify the man (woman) or to build great powerful organizations that glorify one person above Jesus Christ even though they may use Jesus' name. People followed Jim Jones to their deaths because they followed him and not Jesus Christ. They listened to his word and not the word of God. 

In warning against false brethren though I urge us not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and reject the power of the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to set the captive free. People are suffering, are lost and can't free themselves. It will take the power of God. Most of us do not reject the message of salvation because the church in the Middle Ages messed up and so we must not reject the message of the power of the Holy Ghost just because some have used that message to glorify themselves and move away from the message of the gospel. 

• Luke 8:38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 
• 39 Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. 

Again we see that some are called to do different things. This man was sent back to his own household to share the gospel with his family. 

• Luke 8:40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. 
• 41 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 that he would come into his house: 
• 42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. 
• 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 
• 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood staunched. 

For many who have had female trouble, they can identify with this woman. God has healed other women of this problem. 

• Luke 8:45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 
• 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 
• 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 
• 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. 
• 49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 
• 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. 
• 51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 
• 52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 
• 53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 
• 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 
• 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. 
• 56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. 

Notice that Jesus felt virtue when the woman touched Him. There was no guess work here. He knew someone received healing. He is the resurrection and the life. Even death has no power at His word. These are little glimpses of what is to come for all who believe. Some of us may see miracles now. I personally believe the closer we get to the coming of the Lord we may see miracles like Israel saw. Whether this happens, or not we live by faith and stay humble before God. We must remember the gifts of the Spirit and the calling of God is for all who believe, not just a few in leadership. All who believe. Remembering this will help us not to exalt ourselves over others if God happens to use us to do the miraculous. We expect, we occupy and serve until He returns. 

He shall return though just as He said. We sorrow now, but we shall laugh, we weep now but we shall rejoice, we bury our dead now but they shall rise, we suffer sickness now but not in the kingdom to come. He is surely coming, just as He said. We see the signs in the nation of Israel. We see the signs in the weather patterns. We see prophecy coming to pass. He is coming and I say,

 "Even so Come Lord Jesus."

DC