8Luke 8

Women Who Helped Jesus

1Soon after this, Jesus was going through towns and villages, telling the good news about God's kingdom. His twelve apostles were with him,Select Luke 8:1

2and so were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and all sorts of diseases. One of the women was Mary Magdalene, who once had seven demons in her.Select Luke 8:2

3Joanna, Susanna, and many others had also used what they owned to help Jesus and his disciples. Joanna's husband Chuza was one of Herod's officials.Select Luke 8:3

A Story about a Farmer

4When a large crowd from several towns had gathered around Jesus, he told them this story:Select Luke 8:4

5A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. While the farmer was doing this, some of the seeds fell along the road and were stepped on or eaten by birds.Select Luke 8:5

6Other seeds fell on rocky ground and started growing. But the plants did not have enough water and soon dried up.Select Luke 8:6

7Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants.Select Luke 8:7

8The rest of the seeds fell on good ground where they grew and produced a hundred times as many seeds. When Jesus had finished speaking, he said, “If you have ears, pay attention!”Select Luke 8:8

Why Jesus Used Stories

9Jesus' disciples asked him what the story meant.Select Luke 8:9

10So he answered: I have explained the secrets about God's kingdom to you. But for others I use stories, so they will look, but not see, and they will hear, but not understand.Select Luke 8:10

Jesus Explains the Story about a Farmer

11This is what the story means: The seed is God's message,Select Luke 8:11

12and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so they will not believe and be saved.Select Luke 8:12

13The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don't have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.Select Luke 8:13

14The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything.Select Luke 8:14

15Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.Select Luke 8:15

Light

16No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl or under a bed. A lamp is always put on a lampstand, so people who come into a house will see the light.Select Luke 8:16

17There is nothing hidden that will not be found. There is no secret that will not be well known.Select Luke 8:17

18Pay attention to how you listen! Everyone who has something will be given more, but people who have nothing will lose what little they think they have.Select Luke 8:18

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

19Jesus' mother and brothers went to see him, but because of the crowd they could not get near him.Select Luke 8:19

20Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”Select Luke 8:20

21Jesus answered, “My mother and my brothers are those people who hear and obey God's message.”Select Luke 8:21

A Storm

22One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat, and he said, “Let's cross the lake.” They started out,Select Luke 8:22

23and while they were sailing across, he went to sleep. Suddenly a storm struck the lake, and the boat started sinking. They were in danger.Select Luke 8:23

24So they went to Jesus and woke him up, “Master, Master! We are about to drown!” Jesus got up and ordered the wind and waves to stop. They obeyed, and everything was calm.Select Luke 8:24

25Then Jesus asked the disciples, “Don't you have any faith?” But they were frightened and amazed. They said to each other, “Who is this? He can give orders to the wind and the waves, and they obey him!”Select Luke 8:25

A Man with Demons in Him

26Jesus and his disciples sailed across Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa.Select Luke 8:26

27As Jesus was getting out of the boat, he was met by a man from this town. The man had demons in him. He had gone naked for a long time and no longer lived in a house, but in the graveyard.Select Luke 8:27

28The man saw Jesus and screamed. He knelt down in front of him and shouted, “Jesus, Son of God Most High, what do you want with me? I beg you not to torture me!”Select Luke 8:28

29He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him. The man had often been attacked by the demon. And even though he had been bound with chains and leg irons and kept under guard, he smashed whatever bound him. Then the demon would force him out into lonely places.Select Luke 8:29

30Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?” He answered, “My name is Lots.” He said this because there were “lots” of demons in him.Select Luke 8:30

31They begged Jesus not to send them to the deep pit, where they would be punished.Select Luke 8:31

32A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and Jesus let them go.Select Luke 8:32

33Then the demons left the man and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.Select Luke 8:33

34When the men taking care of the pigs saw this, they ran to spread the news in the town and on the farms.Select Luke 8:34

35The people went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they also found the man. The demons had gone out of him, and he was sitting there at the feet of Jesus. He had clothes on and was in his right mind. But the people were terrified.Select Luke 8:35

36Then all who had seen the man healed told about it.Select Luke 8:36

37Everyone from around Gerasa begged Jesus to leave, because they were so frightened. When Jesus got into the boat to start back,Select Luke 8:37

38the man who had been healed begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him off and said,Select Luke 8:38

39“Go back home and tell everyone how much God has done for you.” The man then went all over town, telling everything that Jesus had done for him.Select Luke 8:39

A Dying Girl and a Sick Woman

40Everyone had been waiting for Jesus, and when he came back, a crowd was there to welcome him.Select Luke 8:40

41Just then the man in charge of the synagogue came and knelt down in front of Jesus. His name was Jairus, and he begged Jesus to come to his homeSelect Luke 8:41

42because his twelve-year-old child was dying. She was his only daughter. While Jesus was on his way, people were crowding all around him.Select Luke 8:42

43In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors, but none of them could make her well.Select Luke 8:43

44As soon as she came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes, her bleeding stopped.Select Luke 8:44

45“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. While everyone was denying it, Peter said, “Master, people are crowding all around and pushing you from every side.”Select Luke 8:45

46But Jesus answered, “Someone touched me, because I felt power going out from me.”Select Luke 8:46

47The woman knew that she could not hide, so she came trembling and knelt down in front of Jesus. She told everyone why she had touched him and that she had been healed at once.Select Luke 8:47

48Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace!”Select Luke 8:48

49While Jesus was speaking, someone came from Jairus' home and said, “Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?”Select Luke 8:49

50When Jesus heard this, he told Jairus, “Don't worry! Have faith, and your daughter will get well.”Select Luke 8:50

51Jesus went into the house, but he did not let anyone else go with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girl's father and mother.Select Luke 8:51

52Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, “The child isn't dead. She is just asleep.”Select Luke 8:52

53The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead.Select Luke 8:53

54Jesus took hold of the girl's hand and said, “Child, get up!”Select Luke 8:54

55She came back to life and got right up. Jesus told them to give her something to eat.Select Luke 8:55

56Her parents were surprised, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.Select Luke 8:56